Russian ransomware hacker extorted millions from U.S. businesses, prosecutors say

A 20-year-old Russian hacker was portion of a run that worked to extort tens of millions of dollars from much than 1,400 victims, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Ruslan Astamirov, a national of the Russian-controlled Chechen Republic, was arrested by national instrumentality enforcement astatine an unspecified day and faces charges of conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud and ransoming, New Jersey national prosecutors said.

Astamirov allegedly deployed ransomware called LockBit to bargain delicate information from the servers of businesses, past fastener those systems and request outgo of hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the victims didn't pay, Astarimov allegedly threatened to merchandise the data.

The DOJ says Astamirov was straight liable for 5 antithetic attacks against U.S. businesses successful Florida and Virginia, arsenic good arsenic planetary businesses based successful France, Japan, and Kenya. At slightest 1 of the victims paid $700,000, the ailment says. Another unfortunate refused to pay, and Astamirov uploaded its information to LockBit's nationalist server, according to the complaint.

LockBit-powered attacks relationship for 16% of ransomware attacks against authorities and section governments, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

"In securing the apprehension of a 2nd Russian nationalist affiliated with the LockBit ransomware, the Department has erstwhile again demonstrated the agelong limb of the law. We volition proceed to usage each instrumentality astatine our disposal to disrupt cybercrime, and portion cybercriminals whitethorn proceed to run, they yet cannot hide," lawman lawyer wide Lisa Monaco said.

LockBit was archetypal identified successful January 2020 connected Russian-language cybercrime forums. It's portion of a people of hacking methods and technologies dubbed ransomware-as-a-service.

A method squad developers exploits and maintains bundle to penetrate firm oregon idiosyncratic computers; end-users bargain the bundle and deploy it against firm networks. The end-users wage either a interest oregon a percent of their profits to the method radical down LockBit.

Astamirov volition look a national justice Thursday, prosecutors said successful a merchandise announcing his arrest. He's the 3rd Russia-linked idiosyncratic to beryllium charged with crimes related to utilizing LockBit.

His apprehension comes arsenic cybersecurity matters turn successful size and importance. NBC News reported Thursday connected a wide cyberattack that has impacted "several" national agencies; CNBC antecedently reported connected however a China-backed cyber radical compromised U.S. Navy systems.