Justice Department Announces Charges In Ransomware Attacks

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 08: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (R) and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco (L) hold a press conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building on November 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. Garland announced progress in the investigation into the #REvil ransomware attacks, including the arrest of Ukrainian Yaroslav Vasinsky in Poland, the indictment of Russian national Yevgyeniy Polyanin and the seizure of $6 million in cryptocurrency. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Monday charges and arrests against hackers allegedly affiliated with the REvil ransomware group, according to the Washington Post:

The actions include the arrest of a Ukrainian national in Poland last month, and the announcement of charges against him and a Russian national, Yevgeniy Polyanin, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a briefing at the department.

The Ukrainian, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, allegedly was involved in an attack in July on Florida-based software firm Kaseya, according to court documents.

Garland said the U.S. is seeking the extradition of Vasinskyi from Poland. According to Justice, Vasinskyi conducted thousands of ransomwware attacks where ”REvil demanded a total of $767 million,” according to court filings.

NBC News reports:

Some of REvil’s highest-profile hacks include JBS, a major American meat supplier; Quanta, a Taiwanese manufacturer that supplies Apple computers; and Kaseya, a software company. The Kaseya hack allowed REvil to gain access to hundreds of companies.

The United States and the European Union announced a total of seven arrests on Monday. DOJ said $6 million has been recovered.