Working with law enforcement partners including Europol, the FBI, and authorities in Ukraine, the German police disrupted a ransomware cybercrime gang tied to Russia that’s been taking in millions of euros by blackmailing large companies and institutions for the last few years. The group has been operating since 2010, specializes in “big game hunting,” and runs a professional recruitment operation, luring new members with the promise of paid vacation and asking candidates to submit references for past cybercrimes.
Why it matters: Ransomware is the most disruptive cybercrime in the world. Criminals break into networks and steal sensitive information before initiating malware that scrambles data, then they demand payment in exchange for decryption keys. There is no guarantee that they will not attack the same companies again; they only “promise” not to dump the stolen data online following payment.
- Victims in the United States paid out at least 40 million euros ($42.5 million) to the gang between May 2019 and March 2021, according to Europol.
- One of the fugitives identified, Igor Turashev, has been wanted by U.S. authorities since late 2019 in due to his involvement in various cyberattacks.
- The gang is allegedly behind the ransomware known as DoppelPaymer, which is likely tied to Evil Corp, a Russia-based syndicate involved in online bank theft well before ransomware became the biggest cybercrime in the world.
