A Russian man has been arrested on a charge he tried to get an employee of a western Nevada high tech company to load malicious software into the company’s computer system so he could extort ransom money from the company.
Egor Igorovich Kriuchkov, 27, was ordered kept in jail because after the FBI initially questioned him, he drove from Reno to Los Angeles and asked an acquaintance to buy him an airline ticket to escape the country.
According to the complaint and statements made in court Tuesday, the plan was to download information from the company’s computer system and then demand ransom money by threatening to make the data public.
U.S. Attorney for Nevada Nick Trutanich said Nevada’s economy has evolved into a center for technological businesses and his office is committed to hold anyone planning cyber attacks on American consumers and companies.
Kriuchkov faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of the conspiracy charge.
Special agent Aaron Rouse said in this case, the FBI was able to intervene before any damage could be done. The name of the company was not released.
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