(NewsSpace.com) – REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, was a notorious ransomware gang that operated from 2019 until its dismantling in 2022. The group would seize and encrypt files, demanding a ransom in order to release them. It even threatened to publish sensitive data on its blog if the victims didn’t follow its demands. Following its dismantling, 14 members were arrested. One has now been sentenced in the United States.
On Wednesday, May 1, the Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs announced that 24-year-old Yaroslav Vasinskyi had been sentenced to more than 13.5 years in prison for his crimes. He was accused of carrying out more than 2,500 ransomware attacks, during which he demanded $700 million in payments.
To hide the ill-gotten gains, Vasinskyi and his accomplices demanded victims pay them in cryptocurrency and then used mixing services and exchanges to move the funds. He was also ordered to pay $16 million in restitution.
Among his crimes, federal prosecutors claim Vasinskyi was behind the Kaseya cyberattack in 2021, having authored the ransomware used in the attack against the software company. During the attack, more than 1,500 companies were affected, which prompted President Joe Biden to direct federal authorities to investigate.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the criminal may not have been in the US at the time, but “this case shows the Justice Department’s reach is also global,” and it will work with international authorities to bring perpetrators to justice.
Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national, was in Poland at the time of his indictment, and authorities extradited him to the United States to face trial. He later pleaded guilty to 11 counts, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, and intentional damage to a protected computer.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said after the conviction that federal authorities “will continue to relentlessly pursue cyber criminals like Vasinksyi wherever they may hide.”
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