Recent reports state that a hacker from Moscow has been charged with many counts of cybercrime in the US. The hacker is accused of data theft, victim extortion, and money laundering for ransom payments since 2021.
Deniss Zolotarjovs: The Moscow Hacker
According to media reports, Deniss Zolotarjovs, a threat actor who also goes by the handle Sforza_cesarini, is approximately 33 years old. The Moscow hacker is presently facing charges related to wire fraud, extortion under the Hobbs Act, and money laundering conspiracy.
After being detained in Georgia in December 2023, Zolotarjovs was extradited to the United States. Details on the Moscow hacker and the group he works for were provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) in a news release.
“Zolotarjovs is a member of a known cybercriminal organization that attacks computer systems of victims around the world. Among other things, the Russian cybercrime group steals victim data and threatens to release it unless the victim pays ransom in cryptocurrency. The group maintains a leaks and auction website that lists victim companies and offers stolen data for download.”
Karakut Ransomware Group
The Moscow Hacker has participated in activities with other members of the Karakut ransomware group and has been involved in the laundering of victim funds. His connections to the cybercrime syndicate were successful in a complaint that was submitted on November 28, 2023, to the US district court.
In September 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) traced bitcoin movements and was able to connect the hacker from Moscow to the cybercrime group. The FBI added further information by saying that:
“Further analysis of Sforza’s communications [on Rocket.Chat] indicated Sforza appeared to be responsible for conducting negotiations on Karakurt victim cold case extortions, as well as open-source research to identify phone numbers, emails, or other accounts at which victims could be contacted and pressured to either pay a ransom or re-enter a chat with the ransomware group. Sforza also discussed efforts to recruit paid journalists to publish news articles about victims in order to convince the victims to take Karakurt’s extortion demands seriously.”
Furthermore, it was discovered that a portion of the illegal revenues were first laundered through many addresses before being credited to a Bitcoin24.pro account. Due to the identical email address associated with the account, Apple was the subject of an arrest warrant issued in September 2023.
It’s important to note that the warrant was granted in order to retrieve documents related to the email address. The arrest and return of the Moscow hacker may open the door for the prosecution of other hackers affiliated with the syndicate, even though he is the first person thought to be associated with the cybercrime group.
Conclusion
The arrest of Deniss Zolotarjovs represents a major advance in the battle against global cybercrime. Being the first of the Karakurt group’s members to be extradited to the United States, his case may yield new leads that lead to the charging of more cybercriminals and draw attention to the continuous international efforts to stop ransomware attacks. Proactive internet security measures are now required to reduce risk in light of such attacks.
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