The US Department of Justice has charged a Russian citizen who travelled to the US to recruit a big company employee to install malware on the business’ computers.
The Russian, identified as a member of a criminal gang, had allegedly travelled to the US around the July 15 to convince the company employee to “transmit malware provided by the coconspirators into the company’s computer system, exfiltrate data from the company’s network, and threaten to disclose the data online unless the company paid the coconspirators’ ransom demand,” the unsealed court documents said.
The company employee would reportedly be paid $1m for their role in the scheme.
The Russian citizen reportedly contacted the employee at the unnamed Nevada-based company on July 16 on WhatsApp to arrange a meetup.
He then travelled to the US on July 28 and bought a US cellphone the next day. He is said to have later given the phone to the employee to facilitate smoother communication between the employee and other coconspirators.
The Russian then allegedly visited the company’s employee and his associates several times between August 1 and 3, inviting “the employee to participate in a ‘special project’ with him and his coconspirators,” the court documents said.
The Russian has been arrested and charged. He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.
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