A Russian national who sold the keys to corporate networks faces nearly seven years in a US prison after prosecutors tied his handiwork to a string of ransomware attacks costing victims millions of dollars.
Aleksei Volkov, 26, was sentenced to 81 months behind bars for his role as an initial access broker, a behind-the-scenes operator who breaks into company systems then sells that foothold to other criminals. He was extradited from Italy to the US to face the charges, part of a broader push by authorities to pursue enablers of cybercrime rather than just the crews that carry out the attacks. Prosecutors say Volkov broke into company networks and sold that access on criminal forums, effectively handing over ready-made entry points to ransomware groups and other extortion outfits.
Read more…
Source: The Register News
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Feds slay dark-web souk Hydra: Servers and $25m in crypto-coins seized
April 5, 2022
US and German federal agencies came down hard on Hydra, the longest-running known dark-web marketplace trafficking in illegal drugs and money-laundering services, with a multi-pronged attack that aimed to cut off multiple heads of the nefarious online beast. First, German federal police in coordination with US law enforcement seized Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets containing $25 ...
- More charged in UK Lapsus$ investigation
April 1, 2022
British police have charged two teenagers as part of an international investigation into the Lapsus$ cyber extortion gang. The boys, aged 16 and 17, are set to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday, according to the City of London Police, the force responsible for the capital’s financial district. Detective Inspector Michael O’Sullivan said the pair ...
- Inspector general says the U.S. post office surveillance program exceeded legal authority
March 31, 2022
An inspector general probe into the U.S. Postal Service surveillance program, known as iCOP, concluded that the agency did not have the legal authority to conduct the sweeping intelligence collection and surveillance of American protesters and others between 2018 and 2021. The Postal Service Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into iCOP — which stands ...
- Apple and Meta Gave User Data to Hackers Who Used Forged Legal Requests
March 30, 2022
Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, provided customer data to hackers who masqueraded as law enforcement officials, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Apple and Meta provided basic subscriber details, such as a customer’s address, phone number and IP address, in mid-2021 in response to the forged “emergency ...
- Lapsus$: Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal
March 24, 2022
A 16-year-old from Oxford has been accused of being one of the leaders of cyber-crime gang Lapsus$. The teenager, who is alleged to have amassed a $14m (£10.6m) fortune from hacking, has been named by rival hackers and researchers. City of London Police say they have arrested seven teenagers in relation to the gang but will not ...
- UK: Online Safety Bill – Updated proposals will make UK safest place to go online, government says
March 17, 2022
Laws that will require social media sites and tech firms to prevent users being exposed to harmful content are being introduced to parliament after several major updates.++ Additions to the bill include the power to hold executives criminally liable if they don’t comply with Ofcom information requests two months after the law begins, rather than the ...