According to BlockBeats, on July 21, according to News.bitcoin, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that two foreign citizens admitted to participating in the Lockbit ransomware organization in the Newark federal court. Russian citizen Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov and Mikhail Vasiliev, who has dual Canadian and Russian citizenship, were identified as members of the Lockbit organization. The organization has been active since January 2020 and has launched attacks on more than 2,500 victims in 120 countries, extorting about $500 million in ransom. Their victims include hospitals, educational institutions, and commercial enterprises. Astamirov and Vasiliev used Lockbit ransomware to encrypt and steal data, demanding ransom and threatening to publish information if their demands were not met. They were arrested in 2023 and 2022 and could face up to 25 and 45 years in prison, respectively.
Earlier news, the US authorities filed a lawsuit against the leader of the ransomware organization LockBit and offered a reward of 10 million US dollars for his capture.
