Canadian Man Charged Over Involvement In Global LockBit Ransomware Campaign

A Canadian man was charged on Nov. 10 for his alleged participation in the LockBit global ransomware campaign.

Per a DOJ report(Opens in a new window), Mikhail Vasiliev, 33, of Bradford, Ontario, Canada is in custody in Canada and is awaiting extradition to the United States after the criminal complaint was filed in the District of New Jersey.

According to the DOJ, Vasiliev is charged with conspiracy to intentionally damage protected computers and to transmit ransom demands. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison. 

LockBit is a ransomware variant that first appeared around January 2020. It has since rapidly become recognized as among the most destructive ransomware variants in the world. In August, a Holiday Inn hotel(Opens in a new window) in Turkey was hit by a LockBit attack, which saw data stolen from the company.

Its members have reportedly “made at least $100 million in ransom demands and have extracted tens of millions of dollars in actual ransom payments from their victims,” the DOJ added. 

According to statistics from Malwarebytes(Opens in a new window) and NCC Group(Opens in a new window), LockBit has been linked to 160 attacks in September and October. Malwarebytes report the group has been responsible for “half of Ransomware-as-a-service attacks” in September.

“This arrest is the result of over two-and-a-half-years of investigation into the LockBit ransomware group, which has harmed victims in the United States and around the world,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “It is also a result of more than a decade of experience that FBI agents, Justice Department prosecutors, and our international partners have built dismantling cyber threats.”

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said: “Yesterday’s successful arrest demonstrates our ability to maintain and apply relentless pressure against our adversaries. The FBI’s persistent investigative efforts, in close collaboration with our federal and international partners, illustrates our commitment to using all of our resources to ensure we protect the American public from these global cyber threat actors.”