The U.S. Department of State has announced a substantial reward of up to $10 million for valuable specific information provided. This reward concerns government-sponsored hackers with clear ties to the notorious RedLine infostealer malware operation and its suspected key creator. Russian national Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov is widely believed to be the primary developer and administrator of this widespread malware. The same significant bounty also covers any useful leads on state hackers’ direct use of this malware in various cyber operations. These operations specifically target critical infrastructure organizations located within the United States, posing a direct and serious national security risk. This reward is being posted as part of the State Department’s long-standing Rewards for Justice program, established back in 1984.
Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov, the suspected main figure behind the RedLine infostealer malware, was previously charged in October in the United States. This formal charge followed a major joint international law enforcement action which was codenamed ‘Operation Magnus’ by all participating authorities. The U.S. Justice Department stated at that particular time Rudometov regularly accessed and also managed the complex operational infrastructure of RedLine Infostealer. He was also found to be directly associated with various cryptocurrency accounts used to receive and then launder illicit payments. It currently remains unclear if Rudometov was actually arrested during that extensive operation, but he could face up to 35 years. The serious charges against him include access device fraud, conspiracy for computer intrusion, and also significant money laundering offenses by authorities.
Dutch police authorities, working very closely with various international law enforcement partners, successfully disrupted the RedLine and META malware-as-a-service platforms. These two illicit MaaS platforms were directly linked by investigators to the widespread theft of millions of sensitive user account credentials globally. Law enforcement also effectively disrupted their primary sales channels by seizing important RedLine and META Telegram accounts used for malware promotion. Additionally, Eurojust and the Dutch police revealed that these authorities arrested two different suspects in Belgium in connection with these operations. They also managed to seize three critical servers and two important web domains which were used for command and control operations.
The well-known cybersecurity firm ESET was also significantly involved in this extensive international crackdown operation, serving as a crucial technical advisor. ESET actively contributed its expertise by helping to map out a vast network of over 1,200 servers linked to these malware. These servers were absolutely integral to both the RedLine and the META malware distribution and also their control infrastructures existing worldwide. Following this major disruption, ESET commendably released a free online scanner tool that is now available for public use by anyone concerned. This helpful online tool allows potential victims to easily check if their personal computer systems are currently infected by either Redline or META malware. Anyone with information on foreign government linked associates of Rudometov should contact Rewards for Justice via its Tor-based channel.
Reference:
