A Russian man has been extradited to the US over allegations that he helped distribute malware to approximately 80,000 users of a freelance employment platform between 2016 and 2017. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev, 40, was arrested in Cyprus in May 2025 and extradited on August 28, 2026. He made his initial federal court appearance in San Francisco on August 31 and was remanded to federal custody. The DoJ said a federal grand jury had indicted Aktulaev on conspiracy, computer damage, unauthorized access and aggravated identity theft charges, among other offenses. Freelance Platform Used to Distribute Malware According to the indictment, Aktulaev and alleged co-conspirators used approximately 255 fake accounts on the messaging platform of a…