A U.S. court docket has sentenced Latvian hacker Deniss Zolotarjovs to greater than eight years in jail following his conviction for finishing up ransomware assaults.
The Justice Division accused the hacker of working for a infamous Russian ransomware gang referred to as Karakurt, which was led by former leaders of the Akira and Conti ransomware gangs, who had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for his or her alleged hyperlinks to Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors stated members of Karakurt focused U.S. authorities entities with assaults that disrupted 911 emergency dispatch techniques, and in addition stole youngsters’s well being info. Zolotarjovs was liable for “escalating strain” on victims who resisted the gang’s ransom calls for, the DOJ stated.
Whereas Zolotarjovs’ conviction is notable in itself, U.S. prosecutors stated of their press launch that the ransomware gang relied on entry to Russian authorities databases and legislation enforcement connections to intimidate its victims, additional underscoring the hyperlinks between the actions of cybercriminals and the Russian state.
Safety researchers have lengthy accused the Russian authorities of protecting ransomware gangs and malicious hackers from Western legislation enforcement, together with by refusing to extradite its residents accused of damaging hacks. U.S. officers in recent times have stated Russia has develop into a “secure haven” for cybercriminals, citing the menace from ransomware as one of many prime nationwide security challenges going through the US.
In accordance with the DOJ, the Karakurt ransomware gang “fueled corruption” within the Russian authorities; these ties to officers allowed the gang’s leaders to keep away from paying taxes to the state, and the gang often paid bribes to officers who exempted members from obligatory Russian navy service.
The Russian International Ministry didn’t reply to information.killnetswitch’s request for remark.
Per the DOJ, the Karakurt gang focused greater than 54 corporations, with at the very least $15 million in ransoms paid by the victims. Karakurt doesn’t look like an energetic ransomware gang; some operations change house owners and names, generally to evade sanctions.
Zolotarjovs was arrested within the nation of Georgia in 2023 and extradited to the US in August 2024. He later pleaded responsible.
(h/t @realhackhistory.org)
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