Pierluigi Paganini January 25, 2017

Russian authorities arrested Ruslan Stoyanov the head of the investigation unit at the Kaspersky Lab in ‘Treason Probe’.

A sad news is shocking the IT security industry, the Russian authorities arrested Ruslan Stoyanov, one of the most important cybercrime investigators working for the Kaspersky Lab.

Ruslan Stoyanov is the head of the investigation unit at the Kaspersky Lab, according to the security firm he is under investigation for a period predating his employment at Kaspersky Lab. Stoyanov was involved in every big anti-cybercrime operation in Russia in past years, including the one against the components of the Lurk cybercrime gang.

“This case is not related to Kaspersky Lab. Ruslan Stoyanov is under investigation for a period predating his employment at Kaspersky Lab,” reported Forbes citing a Kaspersky spokesperson’s statement. “We do not possess details of the investigation. The work of Kaspersky Lab’s Computer Incidents Investigation Team is unaffected by these developments.”

Ruslan Stoyanov – Source Seruaninformasi.com

According to the “Kommersant” the arrest may be linked to the investigation on into Sergei Mikhailov, deputy head of the information security department of the FSB (The Russia national security service).

Stoyanov and Mikhailov were both arrested in December, according to the Kommersant the investigation was exploring the receipt of money from foreign companies by Stoyanov and his links to Mikhailov.

“A Russia-based information security source told FORBES the details of the case were likely to remain private. The case has been filed under article 275 of Russia’s criminal code, the source said, meaning it should result in a secret military tribunal. Article 275 allows the government to prosecute when an individual provides assistance to a foreign state or organization regarding “hostile activities to the detriment of the external security of the Russian Federation” (translation from source). According to the source, this can be applied broadly. For instance, furnishing the FBI with information on a botnet may amount to treason.” reported FORBES.

Who is Stoyanov?

Before Stoyanov joined Kaspersky in 2012, he served six years as a major in the Ministry of Interior’s cybercrime unit between 2000 and 2006, then he moved into the private sector.

FORBES was also informed that while Ruslan Stoyanov was working for the Russian government, he was the lead investigator into a hacker crew that extorted $4 million to U.K. betting shops under the DDoS threat.

Three members of the cyber gang were identified and arrested by the investigators.

Stay tuned.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Ruslan Stoyanov, Russia)