Alleged Ryuk operator Denis Dubnikov extradited to US

Article Reading Time:
2 minutes.

The US Department of Justice reported that Russian citizen Denis Dubnikov, a suspect in money laundering through cryptocurrencies, was extradited from the Netherlands to the United States.

Dubnikov was detained in Amsterdam on November 1stsuspected of criminal connections with the Coyotes group, which owns the EggChange exchanger. Dubnikov will appear in court in Portland on October 4. If convicted, the 29-year-old Russian faces up to 20 years in prison. 

Citing court documents, the MinistryJustice claims that in July 2019, Dubnikov laundered more than $400,000, including through cryptocurrencies. In total, the group of fraudsters during their criminal activities laundered at least $70 million in income received from the use of Ryuk. 

“Having received the ransom, Ryuk operators usedvarious schemes, including international financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies, to conceal the nature, source and location of their proceeds from fraudulent transactions,” the statement said.   

The Department was in charge of Dubnikov’s extraditionof the Department of Justice's International Affairs Office, coordinating efforts with the Department's Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force. The FBI's Portland office is investigating the case.

The Ryuk ransomware virus was first discovered inAugust 2018. When run on a computer or network, it encrypted files and deleted system backups. Ryuk attacked drives contained in or physically connected to a computer, including those accessible through a network connection.

Hackers have used Ryuk around the world in the mostdifferent sectors. In October 2020, law enforcement officials acknowledged that Ryuk is a serious threat to hospitals and healthcare providers in the United States.