The US Justice Department said on Friday that the Latvian was charged with developing malicious software used by a cybercrime organization that infected computers around the world and robbed millions of dollars in bank accounts.
Ala Witt is being charged as part of 47 allegations of membership in an organization known as the Trickbot Group, which officials say operates in Russia and several other countries. The group is accused of infecting millions of computers around the world with malware targeting hospitals, schools, governments, businesses and other organizations.
Authorities said Veit, who previously lived in Suriname, was arrested in Miami in February. The Justice Department said he was summoned to Cleveland Federal Court on Friday.
The allegation, which the Justice Department calls part of the newly formed Buyout Software Task Force, stems from a growing crisis of buyout software attacks targeting vital supply chains, including the Biden administration’s meat and fuel. The White House, which has also been involved in cyber-espionage campaigns targeting US government agencies, issued a note this week emphasizing that the fight against ransom software has an important role to play.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, “These allegations serve as a warning to potential cybercriminals to disrupt the cybercrime ecosystem with our partners through the Department of Justice, the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force. Will use all available equipment.” Statement.
The lawsuit accuses Witte of participating in a scheme that aims to steal millions of dollars from organizations around the world by infecting computers with malware that captures personal information — such as credit card numbers and passwords — and Trickbot members. provides access to the victim’s network.
The charges include real estate, law firms, country clubs, public school districts and other businesses.
Prosecutors allege that Witte acted as the group’s malware developer, writing code related to the ransom software, telling victims they needed special software to decrypt the files. They are also accused of providing code that monitors and tracks authorized users of the malware.
In October, weeks before the 2020 presidential election, Microsoft announced a lawsuit to disable Trickbot in an action designed to access its offline command and control servers.
The indictment, which includes several other defendants whose names have not been disclosed, includes charges of computer fraud, identity theft and other crimes.
It was not immediately clear whether Vitam had a lawyer.
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