Security News > 2023 > June > 20-Year-Old Russian LockBit Ransomware Affiliate Arrested in Arizona

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday unveiled charges against a Russian national for his alleged involvement in deploying LockBit ransomware to targets in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Africa.

"Astamirov allegedly participated in a conspiracy with other members of the LockBit ransomware campaign to commit wire fraud and to intentionally damage protected computers and make ransom demands through the use and deployment of ransomware," the DoJ said.

Astamirov, as part of his LockBit-related activities, managed various email addresses, IP addresses, and other online accounts to deploy the ransomware and communicate with the victims.

Astamirov is the third individual to be prosecuted in the U.S. in connection with LockBit after Mikhail Vasiliev, who is currently awaiting extradition to the U.S., and Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, who was indicted last month for his participation in LockBit, Babuk, and Hive ransomware.

The DoJ statement also comes a day after cybersecurity authorities from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. released a joint advisory warning of LockBit ransomware.

LockBit functions under the ransomware-as-a-service model, in which the core team recruits affiliates to carry out the attacks against corporate networks on their behalf in return for a cut of the ill-gotten proceeds.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2023/06/20-year-old-russian-lockbit-ransomware.html