CYBERWAR/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA: “A Russian programmer who had been arrested in Spain in a high-profile case that pitted the U.S. against Russia on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges of running a vast network of computers for criminal purposes.
Pyotr Levashov, described by the U.S. Justice Department as one of the world’s most sophisticated hackers, is being held pending trial in Connecticut federal court, according to a court spokesman.
Mr. Levashov’s lawyer couldn’t be reached for comment.
U.S. authorities accuse Mr. Levashov of infecting a network of computers around the world with a potent malware known as Kelihos and remotely controlling the network, or botnet, for criminal purposes, including so-called ransomware attacks.
During any 24-hour period, according to a criminal indictment filed in Connecticut federal court, the Kelihos botnet was used to generate and distribute more than 2,500 unsolicited spam emails that advertised various alleged criminal schemes, including deceptively promoting stocks to fraudulently increase their price, a practice commonly known as a pump-and-dump scheme.”
-Maria Armental and David Gauthier-Villars, “Russian Extradited to U.S. to Face Cybercrime Charges Pleads Not Guilty,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 2, 2018 09:14pm