A suspected leader of the “JabberZeus Crew” cybercriminal gang, who has been wanted by the US authorities for over a decade, has been arrested in Switzerland.
Vyacheslav “Tank” Penchukov is accused of being a major player in a racketeering ring that allegedly drained millions of dollars from organizations in the US and Europe in the late 2000s and early 2010s using the “Zeus” malware.
“The “Zeus” malware captured passwords, account numbers, and other information necessary to log into online banking accounts. The conspirators allegedly used the information captured by “Zeus” to steal millions of dollars from account-holding victims’ bank accounts,” according to a 2014 indictment.
Penchukov was arrested on October 23 in the canton of Geneva, and is expected to be extradited to the United States on 15 November 2022. Details of the arrest were first reported by security journalist Brian Krebs.
Penchukov is wanted in federal court in Nebraska, where at least two of other Ukrainian men he allegedly collaborated with have been prosecuted. US prosecutors accuse Penchukov of computer and bank fraud, identity theft and racketeering.