US officials have uncovered and indicted the ringleader of LockBit, a widespread ransomware operation that has extorted victims out of half a billion dollars. He is facing over two dozen criminal charges.
According to a 26-count indictment released on Tuesday, Dmitry Khoroshev, 31, served as LockBit’s “developer and administrator,” overseeing code development and recruiting affiliates to execute the ransomware on its victims.
The alleged cybercriminal got 20% of each ransom payment for his role in the operation, totaling $100 million in cryptocurrency over four years, the US Justice Department noted.
“Today’s indictment…continues the FBI’s ongoing disruption of the BlockBit criminal ecosystem,” FBI Director Christopher Wray noted in the statement.
Since its founding in 2019, LockBit has allegedly defrauded at least 2,500 individuals across more than 120 countries of at least $500 million in extortion. The U.S. Justice Department noted in its statement that it is also accountable for several billions of dollars’ worth of “broader losses” linked to lost profits, incident responses, and ransom recoveries.
This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents
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