The Unitยญed States Departยญment of Jusยญtice (DOJ) has indictยญed a Russยญian man who allegedยญly parยญticยญiยญpatยญed in deployยญing numerยญous ranยญsomware schemes in the Unitยญed States and around the globe that netยญted up to $200 milยญlion.
Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev faces charges of conยญspirยญing to transยญmit ranยญsom demands, conยญspirยญing to damยญage proยญtectยญed comยญputยญers and intenยญtionยญalยญly damยญagยญing proยญtectยญed comยญputยญers.
If conยญvictยญed, Matveev could spend over 20 years behind bars.
Mateev and his conยญspirยญaยญtors allegedยญly accessed numerยญous vulยญnerยญaยญble comยญputยญer sysยญtems via hackยญing or illeยญgalยญly purยญchased creยญdenยญtials betwixt 2020 and 2022, reports by the DOJ.
After crackยญing into vicยญtimsโ comยญputยญers, they would deploy one of 3 ranยญsomware variยญants, known as LockยญBit, Babuk and Hive, enabling the bad actors to steal and encrypt data.
The team would folยญlowยญing that issue the vicยญtim a ranยญsom note. Vicยญtims who failed to pay would often have their priยญvate data postยญed online.
Mateevโs ranยญsomware deployยญments allegedยญly announced up to $400 Milยญlion worth of ranยญsom demands and secured up to $200 Milยญlion in payยญments.
Philip R. Sellยญinger, the Unitยญed States Attorยญney for the Disยญtrict of New Jerยญsey, reveals Mateev and his conยญspirยญaยญtors allegedยญly hit numerยญous pubยญlic secยญtor agenยญcies, includยญing law enforceยญment.
โFrom Rusยญsia and hidยญing behind numerยญous aliasยญes, Matveev is alleged to have used these ranยญsomware strains to encrypt and hold hostage for ranยญsom the data of numerยญous vicยญtims, includยญing hosยญpiยญtals, schools, nonยญprofยญits, and law enforceยญment agenยญcies, like the Metยญroยญpolยญiยญtan Police Departยญment in Washยญingยญton, D.C. Thanks to the extraยญorยญdiยญnary invesยญtigaยญtive work of prosยญeยญcuยญtors from my office and our FBI partยญners, Matveev no longer hides in the shadยญows โ we have pubยญlicly idenยญtiยญfied his crimยญiยญnal acts and charged him with numerยญous fedยญerยญal crimes.โ
Genยญerยญatยญed Image: Midยญjourยญney
