Things are heating up for members of the REvil cybercrime gang following the arrest of 14 people associated with the group.
The arrests were carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service in co-operation with other law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
“The basis for the search activities was the appeal of the competent US authorities, who reported on the leader of the criminal community and his involvement in encroachments on the information resources of foreign high-tech companies by introducing malicious software, encrypting information and extorting money for its decryption,” reads a statement from the Russian authority. Note that this statement has been translated from Russian.
You may recall that back in November 2021, the US Department of Justice charged two individuals with conducting ransomware attacks, one of whom was arrested.
Russian authorities believe they have identified the members of REvil, as in all the members which is a bold claim to make. With that having been said, authorities appear to have struck gold with the 14 arrests it made. So far, authorities have recovered money, cryptocurrency and 20 cars purchased with ill-gotten gains.
“As a result of the joint actions of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the organized criminal community ceased to exist, the information infrastructure used for criminal purposes was neutralized. Representatives of the competent US authorities were informed about the results of the operation,” the Security Service added.
We’re sure that the removal of 14 REvil member from the gang is great but we are left wondering whether more arrests are going to happen. Perhaps more importantly, we’re curious to see whether Russia will arrest its own citizens should they commit cybercrimes in future. Russia hasn’t always taken action against hackers within its borders but perhaps these arrests are a sign of the tides changing.
However, as Ars Technica notes, these arrests comes as tensions between Russia and the US escalate over a standoff involving the Ukraine. This could be a matter of Russia trying to alleviate some of the pressure it’s facing. Whatever the motive was however, the internet is a bit safer today though not by much.
It’s also worth remembering that just because one hacking group is gone, that doesn’t mean cybercrime is over. Stay safe folks.
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
