Another step in the war against ransomware. The FSB, the intelligence and internal security service of Russia, announces the dismantling of the ransomware group REvil, alias Sodinokibi. It is one of the main players in this field. Their hunting list includes, among others, the American companies Kaseya and JBS. In a press release, the FSB claims to have identified all of the members of REvil.
Fourteen people were arrested and 25 places of residence were searched, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The police seized a large amount of money in cash, namely 460 million rubles, 600,000 dollars and 500,000 euros. They also got their hands on around 20 luxury cars, computer equipment and cryptocurrency. In a YouTube video, you can see part of the police operation.
According to the FSB, the criminal activity of the REvil group is now “eliminated”. The press release also specifies that this action follows a request from the American authorities, who, moreover, have been “informed of the results of the operation”. Indeed, following a series of major attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure, the US government has considerably increased diplomatic pressure on Russia in 2021. A strategy which, visibly, is beginning to bear fruit. Seven other members of the REvil group had already been arrested last year under the auspices of Europol.
Source : FSB