Arrests and Indictments Follow Lockbit Takedown

Righto, let’s have a chinwag about LockBit3.0, and how the good guys are nabbing a few naughty hackers here and there. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s like a good old-fashioned whodunit, featuring shady characters, international law enforcement and a spot of intrigue. So, pull up a chair, put the kettle on and let’s delve into this high-tech crime saga, shall we?

Bloody cybercriminals, eh? Can’t turn on the telly or pick up the paper without reading about some new villainous act. Now, the baddest of the lot, this rascal called LockBitSupp, is still on the loose somewhere in the ether, but the authorities here and across the pond have been pulling out all the stops. They’re trying to bring to justice the rest of the crew behind the LockBit3.0 ransomware that’s been wreaking havoc all over the shop.

We’ll kick off with the Yanks. Old Uncle Sam’s Department of Justice went public last year with a couple of indictments against two Russian blokes. One of them, an Artur Sungatov, supposedly used the LockBit ransomware. As for the other bloke, Ivan Gennadievich Kondratyev, who likes to call himself “Bassterlord”, he’s also accused of using the same high-tech shenanigans.

Fun fact, young Kondratyev got hit with a sealed indictment in New Jersey last year, and then another rap sheet popped up in California recently. However, neither have seen the inside of a cell yet. Also, over the past year, the Americans have pulled out another couple of indictments from their bag of tricks against two other Russians, Mikhail “Wazawaka” Matveev and Mikhail Vasiliev. With Vasiliev having a bit of a sojourn in a Canadian jail, waiting to be shipped off to the States.

Now, let’s hop over to France, where Operation Cronos has been swinging into action. A trio of LockBit members, two Russians and a Pole, have found themselves with arrest warrants hanging over their heads. One of the Russians got nicked last year, and the Pole, who apparently launders money like there’s no tomorrow, got his collar felt this February, same as the remaining Russian. They’re keeping schtum about the identities, though, the cheeky French!

Next, let’s take a trip to Eastern Europe, yes, you’ve guessed it – Ukraine. It’s a bit of a family affair in this neck of the woods. A father-son duo were apparently lifted for their involvement with LockBit. You know what they say, the family that hacks together…

Lastly, we have Poland. There was a bit of a kerfuffle in Warsaw recently. French officers and a brain-box from Europol popped over, and lo-and-behold, they nabbed a middle-aged bloke on a European Arrest Warrant. The old bill charged him with some serious offences before he went off to chat with the local prosecutor.

So, in a nutshell, those devils behind LockBit3.0 are dancing a risky jig. Even though the main bloke, LockBitSupp, has yet to be thrown in the slammer, the wheels of justice are grinding away. It’s a proper global pursuit, this, mate. They say the long arm of the law is hard to escape, and these cyber swindlers are finding out just how grim and relentless it can be.

Yes, they still have their tricks, and yes, they’re still causing chaos. But it just takes one bloke, one witness, one slip-up, and they could be going down the river. After all, nobody likes a pest, especially the techno kind.

by Parker Bytes