U.S. Seizes $24 Million in Crypto Linked to Russian Malware Developer
The U.S. Department of Justice moved to confiscate $24 million in cryptocurrency tied to Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, a Russian national accused of orchestrating the Qakbot malware network. The civil forfeiture complaint alleges Gallyamov’s infrastructure enabled global ransomware attacks since 2008.
Qakbot operated as a digital lockpick, compromising systems for follow-on cybercrimes. Prosecutors claim the Moscow-based developer provided access points for ransomware syndicates, though the complaint doesn’t specify which cryptocurrencies were seized.