The Interior Ministry reported the detention of a 16-year-old resident of Brest suspected of using malicious software.
The ministry said that the college student distributed a program through a phishing website styled as a housing-booking service. The site misled users and enabled the launch of a virus on their devices. This provided unauthorized access to computer systems and allowed the copying of confidential information, including data on cryptocurrency wallets, bank-card details, and account and personal information.
He then sold the obtained data on the dark web. According to preliminary estimates, he managed to steal data from more than a thousand citizens of CIS and European countries.
A criminal case has been opened on charges of developing, using, distributing, or selling malicious computer programs.