US alleges ransomware attack against government

The US government this week announced the indictment of two men for their involvement in some of the biggest cybercriminal incidents in recent history. Yaroslav Vasinsky, 22, is Ukrainian and is recognized as one of the main culprits behind the coup against software provider Kasya; 28-year-old Russian Yevgeny Polyanin is said to be a member of the infamous ransomware gang Revil.

The indictment will be part of an investigation that has been going on since 2018 and may have also led to Wasinski’s arrest while trying to cross the border between Ukraine and Poland in October this year. The US government should initiate proceedings to extradite the accused to face crimes such as conspiracy to commit fraud, computer hacking and money laundering, which could carry a total prison term of up to 115 years.

Ukrainian will be responsible for delivering malware responsible for the attack to Kasia, from a security breach in the supplier’s system. The malware used would also be from the Revil ransomware gang, locally known as Sodinokibil, with a ransom demand of $70 million, which was later downloaded for $50 million, which would not have been paid. Nevertheless, the coup has become one of the largest supply chain commitments in the history of technology, reaching 1,500 company partners.

Pauline, on the other hand, would be one of the direct members of the criminal group, which was involved in more than three thousand attacks either directly or not by the gang. She remains at large, but the US government said she was able to obtain ransom payments and $6.1 million in assets linked to money laundering operations. Victims will range from small to large businesses, as well as essential services and US government agencies.

He also faces charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, money laundering and computer hacking and faces up to 145 years in prison. Pauline remains at large and has been placed at the top of the FBI’s list of most wanted cybercriminals; The agency believes he is in the region of Barnaul, a Russian city near the border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland named cybercrime and ransomware in particular as one of the top threats to the economy and security of US citizens. Also cited as a concern was the focus on infrastructure companies cited as a central part of the work of gangs such as the Reville, the US government working with international allies to search for the accused, and the disruption of systems that Promoted the coup. companies and official organizations.

The indictment is the result of work that led, last week, to the arrests of three suspected members of Reville. Two were found in Romania, while a third was in Kuwait, and all are accused of participating in a total of 7,000 attacks against businesses and users around the world, with ransom values ​​exceeding 200 million euros.

Source: US Department of Justice