Mark Sokolovsky, a Ukrainian national, has been extradited from the Netherlands to face trial in the United States for his involvement in operating the Raccoon Infostealer malware-as-a-service (MaaS). Sokolovsky’s arrest in March 2022 came following a joint effort by the FBI and law enforcement agencies in Italy and the Netherlands, resulting in the dismantling of the Raccoon Infostealer infrastructure.
In October 2022, Sokolovsky was formally indicted in the US for his role in distributing the Raccoon Infostealer malware, which targeted millions of computers worldwide. Utilizing phishing and social engineering tactics, the malware aimed to pilfer login credentials, financial data, and other personal information from unsuspecting victims.
Court documents revealed that besides extracting data from victim systems, the operators of the Raccoon Infostealer also offered access to the malware through a leasing model, charging a monthly fee of around $200 payable in cryptocurrency. The FBI announced its acquisition of a vast amount of exfiltrated data from the infected computers, including over 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification.
Mark Sokolovsky faces charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. His appearance in court on February 9 marks the beginning of legal proceedings as he awaits trial in the United States.
