Admin of E-Root Marketplace was Arrested for RDP & SSH Passwords

The operator of the E-Root trading platform, Sandu Diaconu, 31, was extradited to the United States, where he faces up to 20 years in prison for trading access to hacked computers.

Moldovan Sandu Diaconu was arrested in the UK back in 2021, while trying to flee the country after the authorities confiscated E-Root domains at the end of 2020. Last month, he agreed to be extradited to the United States, where he and unnamed co-conspirators are charged with electronic communications fraud, money laundering, computer fraud and access device fraud.

E-Root was a marketplace that offered access to hacked computers around the world in exchange for cryptocurrency. According to the data obtained during the investigation, the site sold access to more than 350,000 hacked systems, including computers in various industries and at least one government system in Tampa (Florida, USA).

On E-Root, customers had access to filters and search tools, meaning that ads were ordered by price range, region, provider, operating system, RDP or SSH access, and so on.

Law enforcement officers note that E-Root worked in a distributed network that provides the service with stability and secrecy, and also had security features that made it possible to hide the real identities of sellers, buyers and administrators.

The trading platform also had a specialized cryptocurrency exchange service that allowed users to convert Bitcoin to Perfect Money.

In a statement, the US Department of Justice notes that the authorities have numerous confirmations of the use of accesses acquired through E-Root for cybercrime activities, including ransomware attacks.

Deaconu has not yet pleaded guilty. In addition to the aforementioned prison sentence, US law enforcement agencies say they will seek confiscation of the Deacon’s income from illegal activities, the amount of which has yet to be determined.