Russian man extradited to US for alleged freelance platform malware
Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev, a Russian national, has been extradited to the US, where he faces federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a malware campaign targeting users of a major freelance platform in 2016 and 2017. Prosecutors say thousands of victims, about half in the US, were affected by malicious Excel attachments distributed through around 255 fake accounts. Aktulaev remains in US custody and has been formally indicted.
- Aktulaev arrested in Cyprus, extradited August 2026
- Indictment alleges use of 255 fake accounts
- Malware campaign targeted about 80,000 platform users
- Thousands of victims' data and credentials compromised
- Aktulaev faces multiple federal charges, remains detained
Sources covering this
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