A Russian and Canadian national is being charged for his alleged participation in the LockBit global ransomware campaign.
Mikhail Vasiliev, 33, of Bradford, Ontario, Canada, was taken into custody in Canada Nov. 10, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
"This arrest is the result of over two-and-a-half-years of investigation into the LockBit ransomware group, which has harmed victims in the United States and around the world," Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in the release. "It is also a result of more than a decade of experience that FBI agents, Justice Department prosecutors and our international partners have built dismantling cyber threats."
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbat
| Wikipedia-FBI/bc.edu
Vasiliev, who remains incarcerated in Canada awaiting extradition, is charged with "conspiracy to intentionally damage protected computers and to transmit ransom demands," according to the release. He faces up to five years in prison.
LockBit is a ransomware variant that dates back to January 2020 and now is "one of the most active and destructive ransomware variants in the world," the news release said. As many as 1,000 have been victimized by LockBit worldwide and its members have extracted tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments. The FBI began investigating the LockBit conspiracy a few month after it hit the worldwide web.
Monaco also had a message for other ransomware criminals, according to the release.
"Let this be yet another warning to ransomware actors: working with partners around the world, the Department of Justice will continue to disrupt cyber threats and hold perpetrators to account," she said in the release. "With our partners, we will use every available tool to disrupt, deter and punish cyber criminals."
Vasiliev's "successful arrest demonstrates our ability to maintain and apply relentless pressure against our adversaries," FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said in the news release. "The FBI's persistent investigative efforts, in close collaboration with our federal and international partners, illustrates our commitment to using all of our resources to ensure we protect the American public from these global cyber threat actors."
