Aníbal Alexander Canelon Aguirre arrested for Ploutus malware development

Aníbal Alexander Canelon Aguirre, a 50-year-old Venezuelan national known by aliases ‘Prometheus’ and ‘The Engineer’, has been arrested in connection with the development and deployment of Ploutus malware. Canelon Aguirre appeared before a U.S. court on October 2, pleading not guilty; he remains in custody pending trial.

Authorities allege Canelon Aguirre is a key figure in jackpotting attacks orchestrated by the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua. These attacks involve using Ploutus malware to force ATMs to dispense cash without debiting any accounts. The group’s activities have reportedly impacted 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and international locations.

Canelon Aguirre was notably the first individual included on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for cybercrime. In addition to the criminal charges involving bank robbery, fraud, and money laundering conspiracy, the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently imposed sanctions against him. The Ploutus malware was specifically designed to evade forensic analysis and self-delete from infected systems.