REPORT: Ukrainian Hacker Sought By US Arrested In Switzerland

A Ukrainian hacker who had been wanted by US authorities for ten years was detained in Switzerland last month, according to a report on Friday from the specialised website Krebs on Security.

On October 23, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, 40, was detained while visiting his wife in the Swiss canton of Geneva, according to the website.

The arrest was verified by Swiss authorities to the news website Watson, although they did not provide the suspect’s identity.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice “decided on November 15, 2022, to authorise his extradition to the United States,” spokesman Raphael Frei told the website.

Penchukov is accused by US officials of being the leader of a group of hackers who broke into online bank accounts and stole millions of dollars.

Although he and eight other people were indicted in the US in 2012, he has so far managed to avoid capture.

The gang members allegedly used the Zeus malware to obtain the passwords and bank account numbers required to gain access.

The Krebs on Security website said the gang focused on small and medium-sized businesses, adding “money mules” it had recruited onto the payroll who would then transfer the money onward to the gang.

The website said that Penchukov was from the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk which was recently “annexed” by Russia.

“In his hometown, Penchukov was a well-known deejay (“DJ Slava Rich”) who enjoyed being seen riding around in his high-end BMWs and Porsches,” said the website.

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