Ukrainian man pleads guilty in cyberattack that temporarily disrupted major Vermont hospital

The U.S. Department of Justice says a Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to involvement in two separate malware schemes, including a cyberattack that temporarily shut down some vital services at a major hospital in Vermont

LINCOLN, Neb. -- LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) —

A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to involvement in two separate malware schemes including a cyberattack at the University of Vermont Medical Center in 2020 that temporarily shut down some of its vital services and cost it tens of millions of dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, also known as Vyacheslav Igoravich Andreev, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Nebraska to one count of conspiracy to break U.S. anti-racketeering law and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Records in the case are sealed, so the name of Penchukov’s lawyer was not immediately known Friday.

Penchukov was accused of helping lead a racketeering enterprise and conspiracy that infected thousands of business computers with malicious software starting in May 2009, and later leading a conspiracy that infected computers with new malware from at least November 2018 through February 2021, according to federal prosecutors.