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The Russian government has confirmed the bill of indictment of a 32 - year - old resident , who authorities accuse of creating and launching ransomware attacks . Russian prosecutors said last week that they commove the unnamed hacker , who lives in the Russian province of Kaliningrad , with the creation of ransomware to make “ illegal earnings . ”
The halt of a suspect ransomware fellow member from inside Russia ’s borders is rarified , though not unheard of . The Russian government has a long story of harbor its citizens from U.S. law enforcement actions , admit indictment and extraditions associated with cybercrime .
In abrief statementlast calendar week , the Kaliningrad public prosecutor ’s berth confirmed it filed criminal charges against the somebody with the local courts . The prosecutor ’s affirmation said authorities established in January 2024 that the accused hacker “ planned to use the malicious programme to encrypt the information of commercial establishment with the subsequent receipt of a ransom for decipherment , ” key out how hackers deployransomware .
U.S. authorities previously link up Matveev — presently with a $ 10 million U.S. State Department bounty for information leading to his hitch — to the Babuk , Hive , and LockBit ransomware crew . Matveevpreviously recite TechCrunchthat he “ burned ” his recommendation to annul getting caught by a area overseas that has an extradition treaty with the United States — which Russia does not . Matveev also say TechCrunch thatsanctions issued against himby the U.S. government mean that Russia would likely not deport him to the United States to face DoJ .
Matveev did not respond to a message sent by TechCrunch on Monday . A tweet put up by an X news report known to be run by Matveev last posted on December 1 , the first stake on the account since mid - October .
Spokespeople for the Russian government in Moscow and the Russian embassy in Washington , DC , did not return electronic mail quest remark . The FBI did not comment Monday on the report of Matveev ’s arrest .
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U.S. governing official have long accused Russia of taking little action mechanism against cybercriminals who work within its borders . U.S. intelligence chiefsreiterated earlier this yearthat the U.S. and its allies would proceed to experience ransomware attacks because Russia provide “ secure haven ” to drudge who target Western business and governments .
The arrest — and public revelation of it — of a ransomware operator in Russia is uncommon . Russian confidence arrested several member of the REvil ransomware gang in 2022 , week after a cyberattack by the gang on Colonial Pipeline , a major gas and oil word of mouth that runs up the U.S. East Coast . The cyberattack resulted in major disruption to gas and fuel provision for more than a calendar week . In a uncommon instruction at the time , the Russian Federal Security Service ( FSB ) saidit “ neutralized ” the hacker ’ substructure , efficaciously shut down the ransomware procedure .
Security researchers say that 2024 is on track to becomea record - breaking year for profitsfrom ransomware attacks and will likely become amajor priority for the 2nd Trump administration , which is set to take post in January .
