U.S. Offers $2.5 Million Reward for Hacker Behind Massive Global Cybercrime Operation

The U.S. State Department announced on Monday a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Belarusian hacker Volodymyr Kadariya.

According to the indictment, Kadariya is accused of orchestrating a cybercrime operation that involved deploying the Angler Exploit Kit(AEK), various other malware, and online scams to millions of unsuspecting internet users from October 2013 to March 2022.

These attacks were executed through “malvertising.” In this method, online ads appeared legitimate but secretly redirected users to malicious websites and servers. According to the indictment, these sites either defrauded users or infected their devices with malware.

The AEK was one of the primary tools used to compromise these electronic devices, according to the indictment.

In addition, the indictment states that Kadariya and his co-conspirators allegedly distributed “scareware” ads that falsely claimed to have detected viruses or other issues on a user’s device. These ads aimed to trick users into buying or downloading harmful software, granting remote access to their devices, or revealing personal and financial information.

To profit from their extensive hacking and fraud schemes, Kadariya and his associates reportedly sold access to compromised devices, known as “loads” or “bots,” on Russian cybercrime forums.

The indictment also state that Kadariya and his associates sold stolen information, such as banking details and login credentials, recorded in “logs,” enabling further fraud or the distribution of additional malware to the victims’ devices.

At its peak, Angler represented 40% of all exploit kit infections, targeting around 100,000 devices and generating an estimated annual turnover of around $34 million, according to the British National Crime Agency.

This reward is offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, and reflects the U.S. government’s concern about the increasing threat of cybercrime.