The identity of the leader of the notorious Lockbit Ransomware gang is known: Russian Dmitry Khoroshev (31) is said to be the mastermind responsible for thousands of cyberattacks. The FBI is offering a $10 million reward for his capture.
Thousands of companies have fallen victim to Lockbit in recent years. In the Netherlands, this includes a healthcare institution, a health center and a steel manufacturing company. The most famous victim is the KNVB.
According to the FBI, Khoroshev and his gang are responsible for 2,110 victims. More than a hundred hospitals have been closed due to Lockbit ransomware. This is how a ransomware attack works:
Lockbet leader denies he is Khoroshev and says the FBI is “bluffing.”
There is no place for cyber criminals to hide
Graeme Biggar, head of Britain's National Crime Agency, said: “These sanctions are hugely important and show that there is nowhere to hide for cybercriminals like Dmitry Khoroshev, who are wreaking havoc around the world.” “He was convinced that he could remain anonymous, but he was wrong.”
The National Crime Agency and the FBI had previously seized Lockbit's servers, dealing a digital blow to the gang. The gang became active again very quickly, but on a much smaller scale than before.
Safe in Russia
The other members of Lockbit, whose identities have also been revealed, have not yet been arrested. Russians Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev (31), Artur Sungatov (34) and Ivan Kondratiev (27) are believed to be living in Russia or another country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
Cybercriminals are often left alone in Russia as long as they only attack Western companies.
KNVB
KNVB, Lockbit's most famous victim, was also hacked and blackmailed by Lockbit. The Football Association paid a ransom. To this day, it is not known how much that amount was, but the request was more than one million euros, RTL Nieuws reported.
Lockbit threatened to leak confidential documents from the Dutch Football Association, including copies of passports and contracts of Dutch players.
