US Indicts Ukrainian For ‘Raccoon Stealer’ Malware That Hit Millions Of Computers

The United States says it has caught the developer of "Raccoon Stealer," a Windows malware that could infect millions of computers around the world.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced (opens in a new window) that a 26-year-old Ukrainian man named Mark Sokolovsky has been charged with participating in Operation Raccoon Stealer, which stole passwords, phone numbers, credit card information and more. Other sensitive accounts. Information details Infected persons PCS

According to court documents, Sokolovsky was arrested in March (opens in a new window) after driving from Ukraine to the Netherlands in a Porsche Cayenne. He was then arrested by the Dutch authorities at the request of the United States.

Mark Sokolowski (Source: Department of Justice)

The Justice Department said it also cooperated with European law enforcement to disable the IT infrastructure that powers Raccoon Stealer. This work led researchers to reveal that the malware stole more than 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification from victims, such as email addresses, credit card numbers, cryptocurrencies and banking information.

“Apparently, there are more than four million email addresses in the identifying information. The United States does not believe Raccoon InfoStealer possessed all of the stolen data and continues to investigate," the Department of Homeland Security added. Justice.

Raccoon Stealer was created in 2019 as a piece of malware that cybercriminals can access for around $200 per month. According to the Department of Justice (opens in a new window), Raccoon Stealer arrived in a phishing email. Victims were tricked into installing malicious code through fake emails about the COVID-19 pandemic. Security firms have also discovered (opens in a new window) that Raccoon Stealer infiltrates other malicious packages and malicious web pages.

(Credit: Department of Justice)

Once infected, the malware can be used by cybercriminals to steal victims' credentials or banking information, access valuable online accounts, or commit identity theft. Also, hackers can take the stolen information and resell it on the dark web market for profit.

The Department of Justice has created a website (opens in a new window) for anyone to find out if their computer was hacked by Raccoon Stealer. The site asks the user to enter their email address. The Department of Justice would then send a message asking if the stolen Raccoon Stealer was found in the Raccoon Stealer database that the United States was able to retrieve.

(Credit: Department of Justice)

Federal prosecutors are also working to extradite Sokolovsky to the United States. He faces up to 27 years in prison if convicted.

However, the raccoon stiller is far from dead. After a brief hiatus following Sokolowski's arrest, the malware team relaunched in June as Raccoon Stealer version 2.0 (opens in a new window) .

KSAT 12 is the 6 hour news. October 25, 2022