Extradited Russian Hacker Faces Charges Over Excel Malware Campaign That Infected Thousands

A Russian national has been charged by the US Department of Justice for using malware-laced Excel attachments to infect users. The individual, Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev, allegedly created around 255 fake accounts on a freelance platform to send the malicious attachments to approximately 80,000 users in 2016 and 2017. Aktulaev, 40, was arrested in Cyprus in May 2025 and has since been extradited to the US. The extradition occurred on August 28, and the charges are being handled by the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.