The members behind REvil, a group of criminals that used ransomware to wreak havoc and extort companies and organizations out of money (like the Colonial Pipeline event), have been shut down by Russia’s FSB (Russian Federal Security Service).
The FSB worked with others within the Russian government to track down and raid multiple locations, seizing millions of dollars in currency (including cryptocurrencies), property, vehicles, and computer devices. As well as making multiple arrests. Completely devastating the group and taking it down.
A total of 25 locations were included in the raid and a total of 14 REvil members were arrested in these efforts. All of this was announced by Russia’s FSB on its website here (Note: This link may not work since hacker ground “Anonymous” took the website down and it has been down or experiencing troubles for some time since).
“As a result of a complex of coordinated investigative and operational search activities, funds were seized at 25 addresses at the places of residence of 14 members of the organized criminal community: over 426 million rubles, including in cryptocurrency, 600 thousand US dollars, 500 thousand euros, as well as computer equipment, crypto wallets used to commit crimes, 20 premium cars purchased with money obtained from crime.” – Russian FSB (Website)
It is nice to see Russia taking cybercrime seriously. Non-state-funded cybercriminal groups at least. All jokes aside though, hopefully, this is one step of many that the country is taking to join the rest of the world in hunting these criminals down and putting an end to this madness.
So many people have been hurt by groups like these. Not to mention, much of it happening when the world is already having such a rough time these last few years.
