Elusive Romanian Hacker Extradited From Colombia To Us

[✨ Megiddo]

The attacker helped create and distribute the Gozi malware.

Mihai Ionut Paunescu, a 37-year-old Romanian citizen accused of participating in a cybercriminal network that created and distributed the Gozi malware worldwide, has been extradited from Colombia to the United States.

The cybercriminal was first arrested in Romania in December 2012 and released on bail. Last year, after several years of international hunting, the hacker was finally caught by the DIJIN National Police Investigation Unit and handed over to the Colombian Attorney General's Office. Three days ago, on July 18, 2022, Paunescu appeared in federal court in Manhattan and was taken into custody. The perpetrator faces several charges:

• Conspiracy to commit a computer intrusion;

• Conspiracy to commit electronic fraud.

According to official sources, Paunescu ran Bulletproof hosting, which was used by hackers to distribute the Gozi malware, which stole personal bank account information while remaining virtually undetectable. It is known that the virus infected more than 1 million computers worldwide (including NASA computers), caused damage estimated at tens of millions of dollars and became one of the most destructive malware in history.
__________________