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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Alleged Spam Kingpin ‘Severa’ Extradited to US

Summary: Peter Yuryevich Levashov, a 37-year-old Russian programmer alleged to have operated under the names "Peter Severa" and "Peter of the North," was extradited to the United States and arraigned in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, on eight counts including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, conspiracy, and intentional damage to protected computers. Authorities suspect him of running the Waledac/Kelihos spam botnet, a now-defunct malware strain said to have sent more than 1.5 billion spam, phishing, and malware attacks daily, and which he allegedly rented out at $200 per million spam messages, $300 per million for money-mule scams, and $500 per million for phishing emails.

What's compelling: Levashov's attorney says the complaint remains sealed and no discovery has been received, so the government's evidence has not yet been tested - and if he pleads guilty, the case could expose the real-life identities of other top spammers, including the Rustock botmaster known as "Cosma," for whom Microsoft has offered an unclaimed $250,000 reward.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Malware
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