A U.S. federal judge sentenced a Russian national to five years and four months in prison for his role in developing TrickBot malware, which is used to target businesses, schools and hospitals across the country.

Vladimir Dunaev in the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern Ohio in December pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. The 40-year-old acknowledged providing specialized services and technical abilities in furtherance of TrickBot (see: TrickBot Developer Pleads Guilty in US Court).