© 2025 CoolTechZone - Latest tech news,
product reviews, and analyses.

Two Russians admit being members of LockBit ransomware group


Two Russian nationals pleaded guilty to participating in the LockBit, one of the most prolific ransomware operations in the world at the time. They face 25 to 45 years in prison.

21 year old Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov and 34 year old Mikhail Vasiliev were members of the infamous LockBit ransomware group. It was their job to identify and unlawfully access vulnerable computer systems.

Once in they deployed LockBit ransomware and both steal and encrypt stored company data. After a successful attack the affiliate members demanded a ransom from their victims in exchange for the decryption key and deleting of the stolen data.

When victims didn’t pay the ransom, LockBit would permanently encrypt their data and publish highly sensitive information on a publicly accessible website.

“Astamirov and Vasiliev thought that they could deploy LockBit from the shadows, wreaking havoc and pocketing massive ransom payments from their victims, without consequence. They were wrong,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger says in a statement.

LockBit first showed its face in Januari 2020. Between then and February 2024, LockBit was considered the most active and destructive ransomware operation in the world. Cybersecurity experts say the hacking group is responsible for over 2,500 victims in 120 countries, including 1,800 victims in the United States.

Among the victims were small businesses and multinational corporations, but also schools, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure, political institutions and law enforcement agencies. LockBit approximately received over 500 million dollar in ransom payments.

Astamirov, who got arrested and charged in June 2023, is said to be responsible for at least 12 victims between 2020 and 2023, deriving at least 1.9 million dollar in ransom from his victims.

According to the Attorney General, Vasiliev is also responsible for 12 victims and causing at least 500,000 dollar in damages in a ransomware attack against an educational facility in England and a school in Switzerland. He was arrested in Canada in November 2022 and was extradited to the United States in June 2023.

Astamirov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. For these crimes he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Vasiliev pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, intentional damage to a protected computer, transmission of a threat in relation to damaging a protected computer, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If found guilty he goes to prison for a maximum of 45 years.

A sentencing data has not yet been set.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked