Breaking News: Cyber Villain Caught Red-Handed with $24 Million! 💰💻

So, picture this: Gallyamov, the mastermind behind Qakbot, has been playing the malware game since 2008. That’s right, he’s like the grandpa of botnets, building a massive army of infected devices while we were all just trying to figure out how to use our first smartphones. 📱

From 2019, he decided to share his toys with the big kids—ransomware operators who were just itching to unleash chaos with strains like REvil, Conti, Egregor, and Black Basta. And guess what? Gallyamov was cashing in on the ransom payments like it was a Black Friday sale! 🤑

Fast forward to April 25, 2025, when the FBI swooped in like superheroes (minus the capes) and seized over 30 bitcoin and $700,000 in USDT. That brings the grand total of seized crypto linked to our favorite cyber villain to a whopping $24 million! Talk about a bad day at the office! 💸

But wait, there’s more! Despite the 2023 takedown of Qakbot’s infrastructure, Gallyamov and his crew were still at it, using new tricks like “spam bomb” phishing attacks. Seriously, guys? Targeting U.S. firms as recently as January 2025? Someone needs to tell them that the party’s over! 🎉

“This case demonstrates our global resolve to disrupt ransomware networks and hold leaders accountable—no matter where they hide,” said the DOJ officials, probably while sipping their coffee and feeling very important.

And let’s not forget, this whole saga is part of Operation Endgame, a fancy international effort with law enforcement from Germany, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., Canada, and Europol. It’s like the Avengers, but for cybercrime! 🦸‍♂️

If Gallyamov gets convicted, he’s looking at some serious penalties for orchestrating one of the most persistent malware-based ransomware networks in recent history. So, let’s all raise a glass to justice! 🍷

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2025-05-23 23:32