Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com – Author:
Russia has arrested a notorious ransomware operator in the exclave of Kaliningrad, according to Russian media.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on November 29 a court document had been filed in Kaliningrad relating to a man detained and charged with creating malware.
While the document does not mention the identity of the man, an RIA Novosti source confirmed it was Mikhail Pavolvich Matveev, also known under numerous online aliases as WazaWaka, Uhodiransomwar, m1x and Boriselcin.
The criminal case explicitly states that Matveev developed novel ransomware in January 2024.
Matveev’s identity was first uncovered by security journalist Brian Krebs in January 2022.
In May 2023, he was accused by the US Justice Department of a series of ransomware attacks across the US, including a law enforcement agency and non-profit behavioral healthcare organization in New Jersey and the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department.
He was charged with conspiring to transmit ransom demands, conspiring to damage protected computers and intentionally damaging protected computers.
The 2023indictments said Matveev had been an affiliate of ransomware gangs such as Babuk, Conti, Darkside, Hive, and LockBit.
The US State Department also issued a $10m reward for information that led to the arrest and/or conviction of Matveev under its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Original Post URL: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/russia-arrests-ransomware-wazawaka/
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