WASHINGTON: The United States offered a reward of up to US$2.5 million on Monday for information leading to the arrest of a member of a decade-long international computer hacking operation.

Volodymyr Kadariya, 38, a dual Belarussian and Ukrainian national, was charged in New Jersey in June 2023 with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud.

Kadariya was an alleged co-conspirator of Maksim Silnikau, 38, also a dual-national of Belarus and Ukraine, who was extradited to the United States from Poland last month.

Silnikau, who used the online monikers "J.P. Morgan," "xxx," "lansky" and others, faces computer hacking, identity theft and other charges in New Jersey and Virginia.

Kadariya and Silnikau are accused of distributing the notorious Angler Exploit Kit used to infect the computers of millions of unsuspecting internet users between October 2013 and March 2022.

According to prosecutors, Angler allowed cybercriminals to deliver malware by exploiting vulnerabilities in internet browsers and plug-ins.

These included "scareware" ads, or "malvertising" - false messages claiming a victim's device had been infected with a virus that tricked them into buying or downloading dangerous software.

The malware would provide remote access to the device or give hackers access to personal identifying or financial information.

The reward of up to US$2.5 million for information leading to the arrest of Kadariya is being offered through the US State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.

 -AFP