Inside the Underworld: A Notorious Hacker's Behind-the-Scenes Revelations

Inside the Underworld: A Notorious Hacker's Behind-the-Scenes Revelations

Three hours ago, the BBC's cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, shared a revealing encounter with Vyacheslav Penchukov, alias 'Tank', a notorious figure in the world of cybercrime. Currently imprisoned in Colorado, Penchukov is famed for his involvement in extensive cyber operations that victimized thousands globally.

When Tidy met him, Penchukov approached with a cartoonish flourish—peeking and winking from behind a pillar with a wide grin. This charismatic facade aligns with his description of himself, “I am a friendly guy, I make friends easily,” he claims, smiling widely. Known for his connections in high places, Penchukov evaded capture for nearly a decade, despite being on the FBI's Most Wanted list, and leading major cyber-gangs across different eras of digital crime.

Remarkably, this was Penchukov's first-ever interview. Spanning six hours over two days, it was part of the BBC's podcast series, Cyber Hack: Evil Corp. In these discussions, he divulges the intricacies of cyber gang operations and insights into the elusive hackers still active—lifting the veil on the groups' inner workings, including details about the leader of Evil Corp, a sanctioned Russian group.

Authorities apprehended Penchukov in 2022 during a dramatic operation in Switzerland. Recalling the arrest, Penchukov expressed his frustration, stating, “There were snipers on the roof and the police put me on the ground and handcuffed me and put a bag on my head on the street in front of my kids. They were scared.” However, the mass of victims—dispossessed of tens of millions globally, including £4m lost by over 600 UK victims within three months—might see the act as just recompense.

In the late 2000s, Penchukov and the infamous Jabber Zeus crew innovatively looted bank accounts of small entities, causing financial devastation. Between 2018 and 2022, his focus escalated to ransomware, impacting international corporations and even hospitals.

During his prison term at Englewood Correctional Facility, interview recordings were not permitted. Still, Tidy and his producer meticulously noted the conversation under the watch of a nearby guard.

Tidy observes Penchukov’s upbeat demeanor and productive use of incarceration, highlighting his enthusiasm for sports and education—learning French and English alongside accumulating high-school diplomas. Despite this studiousness—in a nod to his predicament—he quips, “Not smart enough - I'm in prison.”

The sprawling, low-security Englewood prison sits amid Colorado's Rocky Mountain foothills, a stark contrast to Donetsk, Ukraine, where Penchukov's journey into crime commenced. Originally, his hacking odyssey began innocuously in video game cheat forums, a far cry from the cyber empire he later commanded.