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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Dariy Pankov, a Russian national accused of developing and selling NLBrute malware, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and computer fraud. A later Justice Department update, published January 4, 2024, reports that he was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. The plea announcement had said sentencing was not yet scheduled.
Who is Dariy Pankov?
Dariy Pankov, also known by the online name dpxaker, is a Russian national from Vasil’yevskoye. The U.S. Department of Justice said he developed NLBrute and used it to obtain login credentials from compromised computers, then marketed and sold the malware to other cybercriminals. DOJ announced his guilty plea on September 14, 2023. The plea announcement identifies his conviction as conspiracy to commit access device fraud and computer fraud.
Georgian authorities took Pankov into custody on October 4, 2022. After his extradition to the United States, he appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in Tampa on February 21, 2023, according to DOJ.
What was NLBrute?
NLBrute was malware, not a legitimate security or consumer tool. In its plea announcement, DOJ described it as a program capable of compromising protected computers by decrypting login credentials such as passwords. DOJ said Pankov used it to obtain credentials from tens of thousands of computers worldwide and sold the program to other cybercriminals.
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The indictment explains brute-force attacks generally as trial-and-error attempts to crack credentials. That is the indictment’s description of the attack category; the later plea announcement does not specify a particular protocol or technique used by NLBrute. The 2019 indictment contains allegations about Pankov’s conduct, which should be distinguished from facts DOJ attributed to his later plea agreement.
How many computers and how much money were involved?
DOJ said Pankov listed credentials for more than 35,000 compromised computers on a dark-web site specializing in access to compromised machines. It also said he obtained more than $350,000 in illicit proceeds. Under the plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit $358,437. The 2019 indictment separately alleged withdrawals totaling that amount; the plea announcement describes it as the agreed forfeiture.
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The DOJ account says credentials were used in illegal activity including ransomware attacks and tax fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida stated: “Once sold, those credentials were used to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity, including ransomware attacks and tax fraud.”
How did the case unfold?
- April 11, 2019: A federal indictment was filed in the Middle District of Florida. It alleged a conspiracy beginning as early as June 2016, as well as the use and sale of NLBrute and credentials from compromised computers.
- October 4, 2022: Georgian authorities took Pankov into custody.
- February 21, 2023: DOJ said Pankov appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in Tampa after extradition.
- September 14, 2023: DOJ announced Pankov’s guilty plea and said sentencing had not yet been scheduled.
- January 4, 2024: A later DOJ update reported that Pankov had been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison.
What was the sentence?
Pankov received 60 months in federal prison, according to the Justice Department’s January 4, 2024, update on the xDedic investigation. The update lists his offense of conviction as conspiracy to commit access device and computer fraud. This later sentence information was not part of the September 2023 plea announcement, which said a sentencing date had not been set. The 2024 DOJ update also gives marketplace-wide context: xDedic offered more than 700,000 compromised servers for sale, including at least 150,000 in the United States and 8,000 in Florida. Those totals describe the marketplace, not Pankov’s personal listings.
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