Ringleader of Prolific Ransomware Gang Arrested in Ukraine

European cyber police last week arrested a 32-year-old suspect they believe to be the leader of a Ukrainian ransomware affiliate gang.

According to Europol, authorities searched 30 properties in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Rivne, and Vinnytsia before locating the suspect. More than 20 investigators from a variety of countries were in Kyiv to assist with the operations. Authorities also seized four other individuals from locations across the country, as well as "technological devices." These suspects, whose nationalities weren't released, were identified after 12 other individuals were arrested in Ukraine and Switzerland in 2021. 

This particular ransomware gang, which doesn't have a specific moniker, is suspected of extorting hundreds of millions of euros from victims in 71 countries and encrypting more than a thousand servers worldwide. The group is known for targeting large corporations, and has deployed LockerGoga, MegaCortex, Hive, and Dharma ransomware to perform its attacks. 

According to a spokesperson, more details will be released later, as the operation is ongoing and more arrests will be made in the future.