A man facing extradition to the United States for his alleged role as the LockBit ransomware administrator has been indicted on new cybercrime charges in Ontario.
Mikhail Vasiliev (33), a dual citizen of Canada and Russia, first arrested at his home in Bradford, Ontario, in October 2022 as part of an international operation involving European, American and Canadian authorities. He was subsequently charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with conspiracy to intentionally damage protected computers and send ransom demands.
At the time, Canadian authorities also filed charges in connection with weapons found in Vasiliev’s home.According to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CTV NewsHe was re-arrested by Ontario Provincial Police while on bail on December 14 and charged with three counts of extortion, three counts of computer fraud, and failure to comply with a release order.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in court in Orillia, Canada. An extradition hearing is also reportedly scheduled for late February.
Vasiliev’s arrest last year was presented as a breakthrough in a years-long investigation into the prolific ransomware group LockBit dating back to early 2020. When police arrived at the home, they found Mr Vasiliev using a laptop in the garage and were able to seize it. before he locks the door.
One of the open tabs was for the LockBit login page. the Department of Justice said. Police seized several firearms, eight computers, 32 external hard drives, and approximately $405,000 in virtual currency. They were able to analyze Vasiliev’s Bitcoin wallet and discovered payments to accounts in his wallet that were allegedly related to the ransom payment.
The Justice Department said Vasiliev’s home was also searched in the months before his arrest, and investigators found one of his devices to be linked to “potential or past cybercrime victims,” including a New Jersey company. He said he had discovered what was said to be a “target list” containing a list of people who would be targeted. He fell victim to LockBit ransomware in 2021.
They also found screenshots of conversations on messaging platforms with LockBitSupport, LockBit ransomware deployment instructions, source code for data encryption programs, and photos of employee usernames and passwords of known LockBit victims. It has been.
Vasiliev’s arrest was part of a series of law enforcement operations against the group. In June, U.S. law enforcement arrested another Russian national indicted for ties to LockBit, Chechen native Ruslan Astamirov, who is suspected of using LockBit ransomware to carry out at least five attacks. .
Since the organization emerged in early 2020, LockBit operators have carried out thousands of attacks against victims around the world.
In June, cybersecurity agencies around the world issued a statement warning that LockBit was one of the biggest cybersecurity threats facing governments and other organizations. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), one in six cyberattacks against government agencies in the United States involved a cyberattack last year.
The group also targets public higher education, K-12 schools, and emergency services.
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