An affiliate of the LockBit ransomware gang has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to cyber extortion and weapons charges.
Mikhail Vasiliev, 34, a dual Russian and Canadian citizen, was arrested in 2022 as part of a multi-national law enforcement investigation into LockBit that began in March 2020.
According to media reports, Vasilyev admitted to targeting organizations, encrypting their data, and demanding more than $100 million from the LockBit gang.
Canadian police raided Vasilyev’s home in Bradford, Ontario, in August 2022 and found a list of past and potential targets on his computer, including a New Jersey company that was attacked by LockBit in late 2021 details.
Investigators also found other evidence on Vasiliev’s PC of his close ties to the LockBit ransomware gang: malicious source code, images of usernames and passwords, and end-to-end encrypted extortion discussions between Vasiliev and LockBit’s mysterious administrator LockBitSupp. Screenshot of the conversation. victim.
During a follow-up search in October 2022, police said they found Vasilyev checking his computer in his garage. According to investigators, they managed to prevent Vasilyev from locking his computer and noticed that it appeared to be connected to the LockBit control panel.
At trial, Vasilyev’s lawyer argued that financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic drove his client toward cybercrime. However, the judge rejected this argument and described Vasilyev as a “cyber terrorist” motivated by greed.
In addition to serving time in prison, Vasilyev was ordered to pay $860,000 in restitution to the Canadian victims. He also faces extradition to the United States to face further charges related to the LockBit ransomware attack.
LockBit has attempted to extort funds from a number of companies in recent years. In August 2021, Accenture is a noteworthy target. The gang allegedly stole 6 terabytes of data and demanded a $50 million ransom from the IT and consulting giant. Other victims include Britain’s Merseyside Rail and German car parts giant Continental.
Last month, law enforcement agencies compromised LockBit’s infrastructure and offered a $15 million reward for information on the leader of the cybercriminal organization.
While LockBit is still trying to portray itself as a major player in the ransomware space, coordinated law enforcement efforts appear to be paying off and weakening the gang.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Tripwire.
