DOJ charges Russian national in ransomware attack

The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced charges against a Russian national in connection with multiple ransomware attacks dating as far back as 2020.

The DOJ unsealed two indictments, one from the District of New Jersey and the other from the District of Columbia, alleging that Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev was a participant in conspiracies to deploy ransomware variants LockBit, Babuk, and Hive.

The New Jersey indictment details his alleged plans to deploy the ransomware in conjunction with other actors. In total, the participants in these effects demanded as much as $400 million from victims and managed to secure payments of up to $200 million.

Matveev operates from Russia, complicating efforts to retrieve him given the tense diplomatic situation between Washington and Moscow. The State Department has posted a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

The D.C. indictment specifically addresses a 2021 incident involving the deployment of the Babuk ransomware against the Metropolitan Police Department in the capital.

"From Russia and hiding behind multiple aliases, Matveev is alleged to have used these ransomware strains to encrypt and hold hostage for ransom the data of numerous victims, including hospitals, schools, nonprofits, and law enforcement agencies, like the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey said in a press release announcing the indictments.

"Thanks to the extraordinary investigative work of prosecutors from my office and our FBI partners, Matveev no longer hides in the shadows – we have publicly identified his criminal acts and charged him with multiple federal crimes," he added. "Let today’s charges be a reminder to cybercriminals everywhere – my office is devoted to combatting cybercrime and will spare no resources in bringing to justice those who use ransomware attacks to target victims."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.