Russian regulation enforcement has arrested and indicted infamous ransomware affiliate Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev (often known as Wazawaka, Uhodiransomwar, m1x, and Boriselcin) for creating malware and his involvement in a number of hacking teams.
Whereas the prosecutor’s workplace has but to launch any particulars on the person’s id (described as a “programmer” in courtroom paperwork), the person is Matveev, in response to an nameless supply of the Russian state-owned information company RIA Novosti.
“At present, the investigator has collected sufficient evidence, the criminal case with the indictment signed by the prosecutor has been sent to the Central District Court of the city of Kaliningrad for consideration on the merits,” the Russian Ministry of Inside Affairs stated in an announcement.
As first noticed by cyber coverage skilled Oleg Shakirov, Matveev is accused of creating ransomware (described by the prosecutor’s workplace notes as “specialized malicious software” that may encrypt recordsdata and information) that he deliberate to make use of for encrypting the information “of commercial organizations with subsequent ransom for decryption.”
Final yr, in Could 2023, the U.S. Justice Division additionally filed prices towards Matveev for his involvement within the Hive and LockBit ransomware operations that focused victims throughout america.
He’s additionally believed to be “Orange,” the unique creator and admin of the Ramp hacking discussion board, and the unique admin of the Babuk ransomware operation, which break up up after members break up on whether or not they need to publish information stolen from the Washington DC Capital Police Pressure.
A Justice Division press launch and unsealed indictments in New Jersey and the District of Columbia present an approximate timeline of his exercise whereas working with the three ransomware gangs:
- In June 2020, Matveev and LockBit coconspirators allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware on the community of a regulation enforcement company in Passaic County, New Jersey.
- In April 2021, the defendant and Babuk ransomware coconspirators allegedly deployed malicious payloads on the techniques of the Metropolitan Police Division in Washington, D.C.
- In Could 2022, Matveev and Hive ransomware gang members allegedly encrypted the techniques of a nonprofit behavioral healthcare group headquartered in Mercer County, New Jersey.
Matveev was additionally sanctioned by the Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of International Property Management (OFAC) for launching cyberattacks towards U.S. entities, together with U.S. regulation enforcement and significant infrastructure organizations.
The U.S. Division of State can also be providing a reward of as much as $10 million for any data that would result in his arrest or conviction for transnational organized crime.
Matveev has had a really vocal on-line presence. He continuously talked with cybersecurity researchers and professionals and brazenly mentioned his cybercrime exercise utilizing his (nonetheless lively) Twitter account, RansomBoris.
After being sanctioned by the U.S., Matveev brazenly taunted U.S. regulation enforcement, tweeting an image of his needed poster on a t-shirt.
