The US, UK and Australia have imposed sanctions on Russian Internet hosting service Zservers and two Russians who administer the service in support of the Russian extortion syndicate LockBit.
This was reported by the US Treasury Department, the UK government and the Associated Press.
The US, UK and Australia have imposed sanctions on Zservers
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control and its U.K. and Australian counterparts have sanctioned Russian hosting provider Zservers for ignoring or evading law enforcement requests, as well as two Russian nationals who operate Zservers.
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The U.S. Treasury Department alleges that Zservers provided LockBit with access to specialized servers designed to counter law enforcement.
LockBit ransomware attacks have cost thousands of victims around the world more than $120 million.
LockBit has been in operation since 2019 and is the most common ransomware variant, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency all over the world.
Bradley Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said the actions by US, UK and Canadian agencies “underscore our collective resolve to disrupt all aspects of this criminal ecosystem, wherever it is located, to protect national security.”
LockBit has been linked to attacks on aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the November 2023 attack on the Industrial Commercial Bank of China, Britain's Royal Mail, the UK's National Health Service and international law firm Allen and Overy.
Ransomware is the costliest and most destructive form of cybercrime, affecting local governments, court systems, hospitals and schools, and businesses. It is difficult to combat because most of the gangs are based in former Soviet states and are beyond the reach of Western justice.
Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, said the sanctions imposed Tuesday “underscore the United States' commitment, along with our international partners, to combating cybercrime and dismantling the networks that enable cybercriminals to attack our citizens.”
The full list of those sanctioned:
- ZSERVERS;
- XHOST Internet Solutions LP;
- Alexander Bolshakov (employee);
- Alexander Mishin (employee);
- Ilya Sidorov (employee);
- Dmitry Bolshakov (employee);
- Igor Odintsov (employee);
- Vladimir Ananyev (employee).
