Cyber Crime

Former Microsoft worker sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing $10+ million

A former Microsoft worker was sentenced to nine years in prison for a scheme to steal $10 million in digital currency.

Volodymyr Kvashuk (26), a former Microsoft software engineer, was sentenced this week to nine years in prison for a scheme to steal $10 million in digital currency.

Kvashuk is a Ukrainian citizen living in Renton, Washngton, was responsible for helping test Microsoft’s online retail sales platform.

The man was involved in the testing of Microsoft’s online retail sales platform and abused testing access to steal “currency stored value” (CSV) such as digital gift cards. Kvashuk used email accounts associated with other Microsoft employees for his fraudulent activity.

“A former Microsoft software engineer was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to nine years in prison for 18 federal felonies related to his scheme to defraud Microsoft of more than $10 million, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.” reads the press release published by DoJ.

“In February 2020, KVASHUK was convicted by a jury of five counts of wire fraud, six counts of money laundering, two counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of filing false tax returns, and one count each of mail fraud, access device fraud, and access to a protected computer in furtherance of fraud.”

Stolen digital currency value could be redeemed to obtain Microsoft products or gaming subscriptions, then the former Microsoft worker has resold them online.

Microsoft fired the man in June 2018 after it discovered the fraudulent scheme.

U.S. District Judge James Robart sentenced the Ukrainian man and ordered him to pay more than $8.3 million in restitution. According to the DoJ, Kvashuk could be deported following his prison term.

“Stealing from your employer is bad enough, but stealing and making it appear that your colleagues are to blame widens the damage beyond dollars and cents,” Seattle U.S. Attorney Brian Moran said in a news release.

Kvashuk used part of the earnings of his activity to buy a Tesla and a $1.7 million lakefront home.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Microsoft worker)

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Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.

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