On Thursday February 19, the Paris court convicted two defendants in one of the first major ransomware cases tried in France since the explosion of this type of computer threat. Ilia D., a 39-year-old Russian national, was found guilty of several dozen cyberattacks using Phobos malware, used to paralyze the computer networks of French companies and local authorities.

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He was sentenced to five years in prison (one of which was suspended) and a fine of 80,000 euros for multiple attacks on computer systems, extortion, criminal conspiracy and aggravated money laundering. A sentence accompanied by a ten-year ban on French territory. His wife, Marina D., 34, was sentenced to one year in prison for failure to provide proof of resources, largely covered by her two years of pre-trial detention. However, she was acquitted of the criminal conspiracy charges for which she was initially prosecuted.

The prosecution had requested eight years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros for Ilia D. and two years in prison for his wife. Neither of the two defendants will appeal the judgment, their respective counsel declared to the Monde. “My clients are satisfied with this decision, which the court ordered to be published on a specialized website. Let us hope that the desired deterrent effect will be real”reacted for his part Lucas Vincent, lawyer for one of the civil parties.