Security News > 2024 > July > Two Russian Nationals Plead Guilty in LockBit Ransomware Attacks

Two Russian nationals have pleaded guilty in a U.S. court for their participation as affiliates in the LockBit ransomware scheme and helping facilitate ransomware attacks across the world.

The development comes more than two months after the U.K. National Crime Agency unmasked a 31-year-old Russian national named Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev as the administrator and developer of the LockBit ransomware operation.

"They would then deploy LockBit ransomware on victim computer systems and both steal and encrypt stored data."

"After a successful LockBit attack, LockBit's affiliate members would then demand a ransom from their victims in exchange for decrypting the victims' data and deleting stolen data."

Astamirov is said to have deployed LockBit against at least 12 victims between 2020 and 2023, receiving $1.9 million in ransom payments from victims located in the U.S. state of Virginia, Japan, France, Scotland, and Kenya.

"Two members of the LockBit affiliate pleading guilty to their crimes in U.S. federal court illustrate we can stop them and bring them to justice. These malicious actors believe they can operate with impunity - and don't fear getting caught because they sit in a country where they feel safe and protected."

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2024/07/two-russian-nationals-plead-guilty-in.html