LockBit ransomware admin identified, sanctioned in US, UK, Australia

umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml to Technology@lemmy.world – 103 points –
LockBit ransomware admin identified, sanctioned in US, UK, Australia
bleepingcomputer.com
5

Sanctions and they know who he is? Given that he wasn't arrested, I'm betting the guy is Russian.

reads article

Yup.

...confirmed to be a Russian national named Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, 31, of Voronezh, Russia, who reportedly earned $100 million as part of the gang's activities.

EDIT: Russia might be okay with someone being on the loose after targeting organizations in those countries, as a result of the Ukraine conflict, but apparently India and Brazil are the other top targets:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockbit

LockBit has targeted various industries globally, however, healthcare and education sectors are the biggest victims. According to Trend Micro, in terms of attack attempts, United States, India and Brazil are the top targeted countries.

Especially in the case of India, I don't know how advisable that is for Russia.

Probably Indian companies that handle US data and are themselves a party to the crimes.

Russian national that just got outed publicly in the press. Pretty sure this is just the governmental way of putting a hit out on someone without actually saying the words. This guy is not going to live long.

How does a government hit benefit them?

Not a government hit, but anyone looking for revenge. The government just outed them in a polite way without saying explicitly "Hey, anyone who wants revenge, here's the guy..."

It's a way of using the "proper channels" or whatever to expose someone to a hit.