A federal grand jury indicted Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev on charges including conspiracy and aggravated identity theft after his arrest in Cyprus. The indictment, unsealed recently, alleges he exploited a freelance employment platform to distribute malware to around 80,000 users from June 2016 to November 2017. Two types of malware were utilized: TVRAT, which targets TeamViewer, and DarkVNC, targeting VNC Viewer, both allowing remote control over infected computers.
Stolen data was sent to command-and-control servers, with many victims in the U.S. If convicted, Aktulaev faces significant prison time and fines. His next court appearance is set for October 5, 2026.