U.S. Announces Arrest of REvil Ransomware Hacker, Seeks Extradition

As a worldwide crackdown on ransomware gangs continues, the Justice Department announced Monday the arrest of ransomware hacker with alleged ties to the REvil group, in addition to the seizure of some $6.1 million in ransom funds.

During a press convention, Justice officers introduced particulars of a latest worldwide legislation enforcement operation that led to the arrest of Yaroslav Vasinskyi, a 22-year-old Ukrainian nationwide, who’s alleged to be a pivotal member of the gang REvil.

REvil, which emerged in 2019, has been liable for quite a few assaults on distinguished U.S. companies and entities. According to courtroom paperwork unsealed Monday, Vasinskyi has helped perform lots of these, one among which was a big assault on world IT supplier Kaseya this previous July—the likes of which affected a whole bunch of companies all through the world.

Vasinskyi not too long ago traveled from Ukraine and entered Poland, the place he was arrested, officers mentioned Monday. American officers have now requested that he be extradited to the U.S. and a federal indictment linked to Vasinskyi was additionally unsealed on Monday.

Justice officers additionally introduced fees in opposition to Yevgeniy Polyanin, a 28-year-old Russian nationwide who’s accused of “conducting Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware attacks against multiple victims,” together with a prominent attack in Texas in 2019 that noticed 22 completely different cities and cities hit concurrently.

G/O Media might get a fee

All colours on sale immediately
Gizmodo describes these premium headphones as “annoyingly incredible.” This is the lowest we’ve seen the Apple AirPods Max yet.

The State Department also recently announced a $15 million reward for anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of additional members of the REvil gang.

Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, spoke during Monday’s press conference, noting that ransomware was a threat to a multitude of U.S. interests.

“These attacks have targeted our critical infrastructure, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, schools, municipalities, and businesses of all sizes,” mentioned Garland. “Together, with our partners, the Justice Department is sparing no resource to identify and bring to justice anyone, anywhere, who targets the United States with a ransomware attack.”

Garland described Vasinskyi as “an alleged perpetrator of a significant, wide-reaching” attack.

It’s unclear if Vasinskyi was fleeing to Poland when he was arrested. When queried on the issue at Monday’s press conference, FBI Director Christopher Wray said merely: “People travel for lots of reasons. But boy, are we glad that he did.”

The Kaseya attack, which occurred over the 4th of July weekend, was one of the largest of its kind in recent memory. REvil’s malware was used to infect Kaseya’s software, which subsequently infected the company’s customer base. A total of some 1,500 businesses were ultimately affected by the attack.

“Our message to ransomware criminals is clear: If you target victims here, we will target you,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa A. Monaco at Monday’s press conference. “The Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware group attacks companies and critical infrastructures around the world, and today’s announcements showed how we will fight back.”

This is a breaking information story. It will likely be up to date when extra info turns into out there.