Alleged RedLine Malware Administrator Extradited to US

Alleged RedLine Malware Administrator Extradited to US reports that Armenian national Hambardzum Minasyan has been extradited over his alleged role in the administration of the RedLine infostealer. According to the US Justice Department, Minasyan was involved in maintaining the malware’s infrastructure, including command-and-control servers and administration panels used by affiliates, and he allegedly collected payments and handled support requests.

The indictment alleges that Minasyan registered two virtual private servers to host parts of RedLine’s infrastructure and two internet domains to support the RedLine scheme, and that he created repositories on an online file sharing site used to distribute RedLine to affiliates; in November 2021 he allegedly registered a cryptocurrency account to receive payments from affiliates.

He has been charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to violate the CFAA, with potential penalties of up to 10 years and up to 20 years in prison for the remaining counts. RedLine is described as a widely used information stealer offered via a malware-as-a-service model that can steal browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet data and other information.