Georgy Kavzharadze [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7], a 27-year-old Russian national [3] [4] [7], was sentenced to 40 months in prison in the US for his involvement in the dark web marketplace Slilpp [6].
Description
Also known as TeRorPP [7], Torqovec [2] [5] [7], and PlutuSS [2] [3] [7], Kavzharadze listed over 626,100 stolen login credentials on Slilpp between July 2016 and May 2021 [2]. He sold more than 297,300 of them [7], resulting in $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. Kavzharadze accepted Bitcoin as payment for the credentials and made at least $200,000 in illegal profits. In 2021, he advertised an additional 240,000 login credentials for stealing money from victims’ bank accounts [1]. Slilpp was shut down in June 2021 as part of an international law enforcement operation [7], with the US Department of Justice seizing its infrastructure and domain names. Kavzharadze pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud in February 2024 and was ordered to pay over $1.2 million in restitution [2] [4]. He was charged with multiple crimes [4], including bank fraud, access device fraud [6], and aggravated identity theft [6], and has been detained since his extradition to the US. The takedown of Slilpp in June 2021 marked a significant moment in combating online cybercrime, leading to a continued global crackdown on similar illicit online markets [5].
Conclusion
The closure of Slilpp had a significant impact on combating online cybercrime, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in addressing illicit online activities. The case of Georgy Kavzharadze serves as a warning to those involved in fraudulent online activities, emphasizing the consequences of engaging in such criminal behavior. The continued efforts to crackdown on similar illicit online markets are crucial in protecting individuals and organizations from falling victim to cybercriminals.
References
[1] https://trafficlight.bitdefender.com/blog/hotforsecurity/russian-citizen-sold-stolen-passwords-criminal-forum-gets-40-months-prison/
[2] https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/russian-jailed-selling-stolen-data/
[3] https://www.vpnmentor.com/news/russian-imprisoned-selling-300k-credentials/
[4] https://securityaffairs.com/167146/deep-web/russian-national-sentenced-40-months.html
[5] https://www.theartistree.fm/journal/382315/russian-cybercriminal-sentenced-to-40-months-for-selling-stolen-credentials-on-dark-web/
[6] https://databreaches.net/2024/08/15/russian-citizen-sentenced-to-40-months-for-selling-stolen-financial-information-on-the-criminal-internet-marketplace-slilpp/
[7] https://thehackernews.com/2024/08/russian-hacker-jailed-3-years-for.html
