Two Russians will face the Brussels correctional court on Friday for alleged involvement in a group responsible for the cyberattack of tens of thousands of computers, according to VRT and Het Laatste Nieuws.
The pair are on trial for designing and infecting computers with ransomware. This is malicious software that affects a person's device and demands a ransom for the user to regain access or for personal files not to be distributed, for example.
This is reportedly the first time that Russians have faced a Belgian court for large-scale cyberattacks.
The first defendant on trial is a 40-year-old man, referred to as V.S. Belgian authorities believe him to be the leader of the criminal organisation. He is suspected of having developed the ransomware, 'Crylock', used to extort money from victims, including minors, VRT reported.
The second defendant is a 44-year-old woman, referred to as E.T. She is thought to have been in charge of advertising the ransomware and extorting money from victims.
The cyberattacks are thought to have affected around 400,000 victims worldwide, costing them around €3 million.
E.T. and V.S. allegedly became a couple after E.T. contacted the Russian man when she fell victim to a cyber attack in 2015.
According to VRT, the Federal Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the 'Crylock' ransomware in 2016 in Belgium. The two Russian suspects were identified in Spain in 2023 and later extradited to Belgium.
