The Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation said it shut down the REvil ransomware gang after US authorities reported the leader.
More than a dozen members of the gang have been arrested following police raids at 25 addresses, Russia’s security agency said in a press release today.
“The basis of the search activities was the appeal of the relevant US authorities, who reported the leader of the criminal community and his involvement in encroaching on the information resources of foreign high-tech companies by introducing malware, by encrypting information and extorting money for its decryption” – Russian Federal Security Service
Russian authorities have arrested 14 people suspected of being part of Operation REvil ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and confiscated cryptocurrency and fiat currency as follows:
- over 426 million rubles (about $5.5 million)
- 600 thousand US dollars
- 500 thousand euros (about $570,000)
Russian authorities also confiscated 20 luxury cars purchased with money from cyberattacks, computer hardware and cryptocurrency wallets used to develop and maintain the RaaS operation.
Footage from the raids available below shows how officers detained the suspects and confiscated cash and electronics:
The raids took place at addresses in the Moscow, St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Lipetsk regions.
the FSB says that he was able identify all members of the REvil gang, documented their illegal activities and established their participation in the “illegal circulation of means of payment”.
Besides creating the file-encrypting malware and deploying it on corporate networks around the world, REvil members have also been implicated in stealing money from the bank accounts of foreign citizens.
“As a result of the joint actions of the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the organized criminal community ceased to exist, the information infrastructure used for criminal purposes was neutralized” Russian Federal Security Service
The FSB says it has informed the representatives of the competent American authorities of the results of the operation.
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