US Indicts Russian Accused of Running Major Global Cybercrime Ring
- The U.S. Government indicted 48-year-old Russian Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov for leading the Qakbot malware operation infecting over 700,000 computers worldwide.
- Gallyamov developed Qakbot in 2008 and used it from 2019 as an initial infection vector for ransomware gangs like Conti, causing hundreds of millions in damage.
- In 2023, the FBI and international partners took down the Qakbot botnet, confiscated cryptocurrency assets valued at upwards of $24 million from Gallyamov, and their efforts to disrupt related criminal activities persisted into 2025.
- Justice Department officials called Operation Duck Hunt the most significant DOJ effort against a botnet, aiming to prevent Qakbot’s resurrection and return stolen funds to victims.
- Gallyamov remains in Russia, which lacks an extradition treaty with the U.S., while law enforcement continues pursuing international cybercriminals disrupting critical infrastructure.
35 Articles
35 Articles
US Indicts Russian National Over Alleged Role in Qakbot Ransomware Attacks
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 22 unsealed charges against a Russian citizen accused of leading a cybercriminal group responsible for the Qakbot malware, which has targeted hundreds of thousands of computers across the United States and globally. Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, allegedly created Qakbot in 2008 and began using it in 2019 to infect computers with ransomware, targeting companies in various sectors, including a …
A Russian Who Led a Group of Cybercrime Who Infected Hundreds of Thousands of Computers Was Accused in the U.S.
The Department of American Justice has accused a Russian citizen of coordinating a criminal group that has developed a malware program that has infected thousands of computers in over a decade, reports Reuters.

In malware-ransomware extortion scheme, feds in LA charge man believed to be in Russia
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have accused a Russian national with leading a group of cyber criminals that developed and deployed malware infecting thousands of computers worldwide, installing ransomware and extorting payment from victims, officials announced Thursday. Rustam Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, Russia, is charged in L.A. federal court with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, and one count of conspiracy to comm…
Russian national charged in connection with globe-spanning Qakbot malware scheme | News Channel 3-12
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday revealed charges filed against Russian national Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov alleging he developed and deployed the infamous Oakbot malware that infected thousands of computers and was used to extort victims around the world. The 48-year-old Gallyamov has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and…
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