Russian and Kazakhstan nationals were charged with conspiracy for trafficking in unauthorized access devices and the possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

The Russian is Pavel Kublitskii; the Kazakhstani is Alexandr Khodyrev. The duo arrived in Florida and requested asylum from authorities, which was ultimately granted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Soon after, however, the pair began to display an unusually lavish lifestyle, such as opening bank accounts and depositing $50,000, spending $110,000 cash on a new car, and renting a luxury house, all without appearing to be employed.

Their activity prompted an investigation by the FBI, which discovered that the two individuals were involved in the Dark Web on a platform called WWH Club and its related forums, Skynetzone, Opencard, and Center-Club.

These platforms allow cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade login credentials, malware, financial credentials, and sensitive information, among other things. They also provide cybercriminal training.

After obtaining a search warrant, the FBI was able to determine the IP address of the site administrators.

“It appears there are several other top administrators who operate the site and receive a portion of the generated revenue,” the FBI said in a statement. “One of those top administrators operates under the username ‘Makein.'”

It is believed that the pair share the Makein alias and are responsible for all cybercrimes committed under the persona. 

Though the WWH platform and its forums continue to operate, Kublitskii has been arrested; Khodyrev’s status is unknown.