Suspected Lockbit Ransomware Dev Extradited to United States
Summary:
A dual Russian-Israeli national, Rostislav Panev, has been extradited to the United States, where he faces charges for his alleged role as a key developer in the LockBit ransomware operation. Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel in August 2023, with authorities reportedly discovering credentials for LockBit’s internal control panel and source code for its ransomware encryptors and StealBit, the gang’s custom data theft tool. In December, the U.S. Department of Justice formally charged him, accusing him of developing these tools.
Between June 2022 and February 2024, Panev allegedly received $230,000 in cryptocurrency for his work with LockBit. He has been linked to the ransomware group since its launch in 2019, helping to facilitate attacks on over 2,500 organizations across 120 countries, with total ransom payments exceeding $500 million. About 72% of victims (1,800 entities) were based in the U.S., including hospitals, schools, corporations, and government agencies.
Security Officer Comments:
Panev remained active in LockBit’s core team until February 2024, when a major international law enforcement operation, led by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the FBI, severely disrupted the group. His extradition follows indictments against other LockBit members, including Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev (LockBitSupp), who is currently wanted with a $10 million reward for his capture. Other indicted members include Mikhail Vasiliev and Ruslan Astamirov (awaiting sentencing), as well as Artur Sungatov, Ivan Kondratyev, and Mikhail Matveev, who remain at large. The U.S. Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering $10 million for information on LockBit’s core members and $5 million for tips on its affiliates as authorities continue their efforts to dismantle the ransomware operation.
Suggested Corrections:
Backup your data, system images, and configurations, regularly test them, and keep the backups offline: Ensure that backups are regularly tested and that they are not connected to the business network, as many ransomware variants try to find and encrypt or delete accessible backups. Maintaining current backups offline is critical because if your network data is encrypted with ransomware, your organization can restore systems.
Update and patch systems promptly: This includes maintaining the security of operating systems, applications, and firmware in a timely manner. Consider using a centralized patch management system; use a risk-based assessment strategy to drive your patch management program.
Test your incident response plan: There's nothing that shows the gaps in plans more than testing them. Run through some core questions and use those to build an incident response plan: Are you able to sustain business operations without access to certain systems? For how long? Would you turn off your manufacturing operations if business systems such as billing were offline?
Check your security team's work: Use a 3rd party pen tester to test the security of your systems and your ability to defend against a sophisticated attack. Many ransomware criminals are aggressive and sophisticated and will find the equivalent of unlocked doors.
Segment your networks: There's been a recent shift in ransomware attacks – from stealing data to disrupting operations. It's critically important that your corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operations are separated and that you carefully filter and limit internet access to operational networks, identify links between these networks, and develop workarounds or manual controls to ensure ICS networks can be isolated and continue operating if your corporate network is compromised. Regularly test contingency plans such as manual controls so that safety-critical functions can be maintained during a cyber incident.
Train employees: Email remains the most vulnerable attack vector for organizations. Users should be trained on how to avoid and spot phishing emails. Multi-factor authentication can help prevent malicious access to sensitive services.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): External-facing assets that leverage single-factor authentication (SFA) are highly susceptible to brute-forcing attacks, password spraying, or unauthorized remote access using valid (stolen) credentials. Implementing MFA enhances security and adds an extra layer of protection.
Link(s):
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...t-ransomware-dev-extradited-to-united-states/
A dual Russian-Israeli national, Rostislav Panev, has been extradited to the United States, where he faces charges for his alleged role as a key developer in the LockBit ransomware operation. Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel in August 2023, with authorities reportedly discovering credentials for LockBit’s internal control panel and source code for its ransomware encryptors and StealBit, the gang’s custom data theft tool. In December, the U.S. Department of Justice formally charged him, accusing him of developing these tools.
Between June 2022 and February 2024, Panev allegedly received $230,000 in cryptocurrency for his work with LockBit. He has been linked to the ransomware group since its launch in 2019, helping to facilitate attacks on over 2,500 organizations across 120 countries, with total ransom payments exceeding $500 million. About 72% of victims (1,800 entities) were based in the U.S., including hospitals, schools, corporations, and government agencies.
Security Officer Comments:
Panev remained active in LockBit’s core team until February 2024, when a major international law enforcement operation, led by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the FBI, severely disrupted the group. His extradition follows indictments against other LockBit members, including Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev (LockBitSupp), who is currently wanted with a $10 million reward for his capture. Other indicted members include Mikhail Vasiliev and Ruslan Astamirov (awaiting sentencing), as well as Artur Sungatov, Ivan Kondratyev, and Mikhail Matveev, who remain at large. The U.S. Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering $10 million for information on LockBit’s core members and $5 million for tips on its affiliates as authorities continue their efforts to dismantle the ransomware operation.
Suggested Corrections:
Backup your data, system images, and configurations, regularly test them, and keep the backups offline: Ensure that backups are regularly tested and that they are not connected to the business network, as many ransomware variants try to find and encrypt or delete accessible backups. Maintaining current backups offline is critical because if your network data is encrypted with ransomware, your organization can restore systems.
Update and patch systems promptly: This includes maintaining the security of operating systems, applications, and firmware in a timely manner. Consider using a centralized patch management system; use a risk-based assessment strategy to drive your patch management program.
Test your incident response plan: There's nothing that shows the gaps in plans more than testing them. Run through some core questions and use those to build an incident response plan: Are you able to sustain business operations without access to certain systems? For how long? Would you turn off your manufacturing operations if business systems such as billing were offline?
Check your security team's work: Use a 3rd party pen tester to test the security of your systems and your ability to defend against a sophisticated attack. Many ransomware criminals are aggressive and sophisticated and will find the equivalent of unlocked doors.
Segment your networks: There's been a recent shift in ransomware attacks – from stealing data to disrupting operations. It's critically important that your corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operations are separated and that you carefully filter and limit internet access to operational networks, identify links between these networks, and develop workarounds or manual controls to ensure ICS networks can be isolated and continue operating if your corporate network is compromised. Regularly test contingency plans such as manual controls so that safety-critical functions can be maintained during a cyber incident.
Train employees: Email remains the most vulnerable attack vector for organizations. Users should be trained on how to avoid and spot phishing emails. Multi-factor authentication can help prevent malicious access to sensitive services.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): External-facing assets that leverage single-factor authentication (SFA) are highly susceptible to brute-forcing attacks, password spraying, or unauthorized remote access using valid (stolen) credentials. Implementing MFA enhances security and adds an extra layer of protection.
Link(s):
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...t-ransomware-dev-extradited-to-united-states/