$10M Reward For Arrest Of Russian Hacker
The US State Dept has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Russian man accused of carrying out a series of ransomware attacks. The individual is Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, a 30-year-old Russian national who is believed to be the mastermind behind the notorious Zeus banking Trojan and Cryptolocker ransomware attack.
The US has also said that total ransom demands allegedly made by the members of these three global ransomware campaigns to their victims amount to as much as $400 million, while total victim ransom payments amount to as much as $200 million.
The statement by the US Attorney’s Office for New Jersey reads “From his home base in Russia, Matveev allegedly used multiple ransomware variants to attack critical infrastructure around the world, including hospitals, government agencies, and victims in other sectors.”
“These international crimes demand a coordinated response. We will not relent in imposing consequences on the most egregious actors in the cybercrime ecosystem.”
Matveev is also known online as Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin, and Uhodiransomwar, has been charged with conspiring to transmit ransom demands, damaging protected computers, and intentionally damaging protected computers. His activities have caused substantial financial losses globally, affecting thousands of individuals, businesses, and even government entities.
He faces over 20 years in prison, but he is unlikely to be arrested and convicted any time soon considering that he is believed to be living in Russia.
The reward serves as a strong incentive to encourage anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to come forward and assist in bringing him to justice, highlighting the seriousness with which ransomware attacks are being treated and the determination to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
Matveev is now on the FBI Most Wanted list and the Treasury Department has also announced sanctions against him. The Department of State announced that it will pay a reward of up to $10 million for information that leads to the man’s arrest.
US Dept. of Justice: New Jersey: Oodaloop: Security Week: Infosecurity Magazine:
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