A Latvian ‘non-citizen’ has been sentenced to 168 months in prison for his role in operating ‘Scan4you,’ an online counter antivirus service that helped computer hackers evade detection by antivirus software.
Ruslans Bondars, 38, was convicted on May 16, 2023 of one count of conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of computer intrusion with intent to cause damage and aiding and abetting.
The service, Scan4you, allowed hackers to determine whether their malware would be detected by antivirus software, including and especially by antivirus software used to protect major U.S. retailers, financial institutions and government agencies from computer intrusions.
According to testimony at trial and court documents, from at least 2009 until 2016, Bondars operated Scan4you, which for a fee provided computer hackers with information they used to determine whether their malware would be detected by antivirus software.
A Scan4you customer used the service to test malware that was subsequently used to steal approximately 40 million credit and debit card numbers, as well as approximately 70 million addresses, phone numbers and other pieces of personal identifying information, from retail store locations throughout the United States, causing one retailer approximately $292 million in expenses resulting from the intrusion.
Another Scan4you customer used the service to assist the development of ‘Citadel,’ a widely used malware strain that was used to infect over 11 million computers worldwide, including in the United States, and resulted in over $500 million in fraud-related losses.
Bondars, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison, was described as having helped malware developers attack American businesses.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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