Pyotr Levashov – Computer Security Articles

Fake News at Work in Spam Kingpin’s Arrest?

April 11, 2017 admin Other, Peter Levashov arrest, Pyotr Levashov, RT, russia today, Severa, The New York Times

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2017 15:51:46 +0000

Over the past several days, many Western news media outlets have predictably devoured thinly-sourced reporting from a Russian publication that the arrest last week of a Russian spam kingpin in Spain was related to hacking attacks linked to last year’s U.S. election. While there is scant evidence that the spammer’s arrest had anything to do with the election, the success of that narrative is a sterling example of how the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is adept at manufacturing fake news, undermining public trust in the media, and distracting attention away from the real story.

Independent Krebs

Alleged Spam King Pyotr Levashov Arrested

April 9, 2017 admin Alan Ralsky, fake antivirus, fake AV, Kelihos botnet, Mikhail D. Prokhorov, New York Times, Other, Peter Ivashov, Peter Levashov, Peter Severa, Pyotr Levashov, Reuters, ROKSO, Spam Nation, spamdot.biz, spamhaus, Spamit, Viktor Sergeevich Ivashov, Vladimir Putin, waledac

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 04:17:09 +0000

Authorities in Spain have arrested a Russian computer programmer thought to be one of the world’s most notorious spam kingpins. Spanish police arrested Pyotr Levashov under an international warrant executed in the city of Barcelona, according to Reuters. Russian state-run television station RT (formerly Russia Today) reported that Levashov was arrested while vacationing in Spain with his family. According to numerous stories here at KrebsOnSecurity, Levashov was better known as “Severa,” the hacker moniker used by a pivotal figure in many popular Russian-language cybercrime forums. Severa was the moderator for the spam subsection of multiple online communities, and in this role served as the virtual linchpin connecting virus writers with huge spam networks that Severa allegedly created and sold himself.