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This is Maksim Yakubets - hacker, an alleged leader of Evil Corp and the man behind the Dridex hacking. Outside Russian soil - he’s the FBI’s most wanted cybercriminal. In Moscow, he’s enjoying freedom and a luxurious lifestyle. Is the world's most dangerous hacker working for the Russian government?

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📎 First hacker Aqua public appearance

In 2009, Washington Post released an article “PC Invader Costs Ky. County $415,000”. Following the trail of the cybercriminals, the US Justice department intercepts several chat communications between a hacker named Aqua and his alleged associates. Yet exposure doesn’t stop the cyber attacks. Multiple companies suffer losses, and all of them share a similar story. Despite investigations, the hackers don't get stopped or arrested.

⚠️ Dridex Malware

Maksim is suspected to lead the devastating Dridex malware attacks which appeared in 2012. Dridex, also known as Bugat, targets Windows users.

In 2014, Dridex spreads via 15,000 daily spam emails, attacking mostly UK and US citizens. Just one year later, both countries end up with an estimated £20 million (pounds) and $10 million (dollars) of theft, respectively.

⚠️ Formation of Evil Corp

Soon, the Dridex gang becomes known as Evil Corp. According to the court, Evil Corp isn’t just a few hackers sitting in the basements of Moscow cafes. They also operate with a franchise model. Selling access to the devastating Dridex trojan, Yakubets also requests 50 percent of all revenues. With Dridex alone, the hacker organization steals over $100 million (dollars) from hundreds of banks and institutions.

📎 US Sanctions

In 2019 Evil Corp, Maksim Yakubets, and all his associates receive sanctions from the US Treasury department. If any of the Evil Corp members ever leave Russia - they ought to be arrested.

What’s more, two of the most notorious hackers from Evil Corpare were charged with criminal violations by the Department of Justice. Maksim Yakubets also receives the highest bounty reward ever put on the hacker -$ 5,000,000.

💰 No restrains and luxury life

Even if Yakubets is on the list of most wanted cybercriminals, FBI can’t reach the Russian hacker. At least as long as he’s in Russia. But being restrained to one country doesn’t seem to bother Yakubets. He’s known for quite an extravagant lifestyle.

🇷🇺 Connection to the Russian government

Multiple sources suspect that Evil Corp itself is controlled by Russian intelligence. It isn’t too far of a stretch - rumors and speculations deem Russia as a harbor for cybercriminals. And not just rumors.

Russia’s point of view is clear. Karen Kazaryan, said there’s a simple rule: “Just don’t ever work against your country and businesses in this country. If you steal something from Americans, that’s fine.”

0:00 Intro
0:30 First hacker Aqua public appearance
01:52 Dridex Malware / Bugat Malware
02:58 Formation of Evil Corp hacker group
03:59 US Sanctions for most dangerous hacker
05:06 No restrains and luxury life of FBI most wanted hacker
05:46 Maksim Yakubets connection to the Russian government

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📰 Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12...