Russian man faces US charges related to Citadel malware

ATLANTA — Federal prosecutors in Atlanta say a Russian man appeared in court on charges related to malicious software designed to steal personal financial information.

U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a news release that Mark Vartanyan, known as Kolypto, appeared in court Tuesday following extradition from Norway in December. Vartanyan faces a computer fraud charge.

Prosecutors say Vartanyan was involved in the development, improvement, maintenance and distribution of Citadel, which infects computer systems and steals financial and personal identification information. Industry estimates indicate it infected about 11 million computers worldwide and caused more than $500 million in losses.

Another Russian, Dimitry Belorossov, known as Rainerfox, was sentenced in September 2015 to serve four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into Citadel.

More In Cyber

Opinion

The time is right for a new military force to defend cyber space

Cyber warfare tasks are difficult, and they’re only made harder when fragmented across multiple services.

Turkey’s navy deploys unmanned surface vessels during Denizkurdu drill

Other participating platforms included crewed ships, submarines, maritime patrol planes, helicopters, drones, fighter aircraft and more.

Opinion

Unleash the Space Force

Numbers outlining China's military space prowess are understandably alarming, but they don’t tell the whole story, Todd Harrison argues in an op-ed.

Space Force to demonstrate satellite maneuvering in 2026 mission

Space Systems Command and SpaceWERX awarded Washington-based Starfish Space $37.5 million to build and operate a satellite for the mission.

Houthi rebels claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed that rebels shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone on May 16 with a surface-to-air missile.