Ransomware, Malware, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Government Regulations, Identity

Armenian extradited to US over alleged role in RedLine infostealer scheme

Abstract tech background with a judge gavel, blending justice with advanced technology.

Armenian Hambardzum Minasyan has been extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to his alleged involvement in the RedLine information-stealing operation, according to CyberScoop.

Included in the charges filed against Minasyan were conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

"Hambardzum Minasyan allegedly conspired with others to enrich himself by developing and administering RedLine, one of the most prevalent infostealing malware variants in the world, which has previously been used to conduct intrusions against major corporations," according to the Justice Department.

The indictment further claims that Minasyan set up two virtual private servers to run RedLine, creating online file-sharing hubs to distribute the malware to affiliates, and opening a cryptocurrency account to collect payments from those partners.

Such a development comes nearly two years after both RedLine and Meta infostealers were dismantled by the U.S. and other law enforcement operations as part of Operation Magnus, resulting in the subsequent U.S. indictment against alleged RedLine developer Maxim Rudometov.

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