MOSCOW, April 22 (RAPSI) - The Interior Ministry has prevented hackers from distributing malicious software that could have inflicted 1 billion rubles ($32 million) in damages, the ministry reported on Monday.

According to the ministry, the software was placed on the websites of leading Russian banks to copy personal client data and to steal money from their accounts. The software was developed by Alexander Pakichev, a 42-year-old programmer from Tolyatti.

Pakichev created the software and sold it to clients. Each program cost about 9,000 rubles ($286). Over two years, he created over 10 programs, the ministry said. The violators managed to obtain data on tens of thousands of clients of Russian banks, who had a total of roughly 1 billion rubles ($32 million) on their accounts. The court sentenced Pakichev to a one-year suspended sentence and a fine of 100,000 rubles ($3,179) for developing, using and distributing malicious software.