Russia has sentenced 4 members of the REvil ransomware operation to over 4 years in jail for distributing malware and unlawful circulation of technique of cost.
REvil ransomware (aka Sodin and Sodinokibi) was launched in April 2019 as a direct successor of the GandCrab operation.
In lower than a 12 months, the gang turned probably the most prolific ransomware group, asking for among the highest ransom funds on the time and incomes over $100 million in a 12 months.
Nevertheless, in July 2021, when Revil hit over 1,5000 companies worldwide in a Kaseya provide chain assault, issues took a flip for the more serious for the ransomware gang.
In response to the assault, President Biden requested President Putin to take motion in opposition to cybercriminals residing in Russia; in any other case, the U.S. would take motion by itself.
Feeling the stress from worldwide legislation enforcement, the REvil operation took a break after which resumed operations two months later. Nevertheless, they didn’t know that US legislation enforcement and worldwide companions had breached their servers earlier than the breach. When the cybercriminals restored from backups, the criminals additionally restored machines managed by legislation enforcement.
On the request of the US authorities, Russia’s Federal Safety Service (FSB) disrupted the REvil ransomware gang in January 2022 after a global legislation enforcement operation recognized and arrested members of ransomware operations, together with the affiliate behind the Kaseya assault.
The FSB’s motion in 2022 led to the arrest of 14 members of the ransomware gang, raids at 25 addresses, and the seizure of $6.6. million.
“The basis for the search activities was the appeal of the competent US authorities, who reported on the leader of the criminal community and his involvement in encroachments on the information resources of foreign high-tech companies by introducing malicious software, encrypting information and extorting money for its decryption,” Russia’s Federal Safety Service stated in a press assertion on the time.
As reported by The File, eight members had been in the end tried, with Artem Zayets, Alexey Malozemov, Daniil Puzyrevsky, and Ruslan Khansvyarov sentenced right now and 4 others put right into a separate continuing.
In line with Russian media Kommersant, Zayets was sentenced right now to 4.5 years, Malozemov to five years, Khansvyarov to five.5 years, and Puzyrevsky to six years.
The court docket discovered all 4 responsible of unlawful circulation of technique of cost, with Khansvyarov and Puzyrevsky additionally discovered responsible of distributing malware.
The opposite 4 members, Andrey Bessonov, Mikhail Golovachuk, Roman Muromsky, and Dmitry Korotayev, will now be tried in a separate continuing for unlawful entry to laptop data.
