The Russian intelligence service FSB says it has dismantled the REvil cyber gang at the request of the United States. The FSB is said to have raided 25 addresses, arresting 14 people. Computer equipment, 426 million rubles (about 4.9 million euros) and twenty luxury cars were also seized, the service said in a statement. press release.
The operation, which has not yet been confirmed by the US side, would be a remarkable step: tensions between the countries have been running high in recent weeks, because of the Russian troop concentration on the border with Ukraine. Over the past week, the two countries have tried unsuccessfully to find some relaxation. On Friday, Ukrainian government websites were hit by a cyber attack. It is unclear who is responsible for this.
The Americans have long accused Russia of being too long-suffering with cybercrime. Many ransomware gangs, such as REvil, are believed to operate out of Russia. However, the Russian authorities often leave them undisturbed as long as they do not inflict casualties in Russia or its allies.
Closed supermarkets
REvil is one of the largest and best-known ransomware gangs. The group, which encrypts its victims’ computer systems and then demands a ransom to undo it, was in the news last year because of cyber attacks on meat processor JBS and on software company Kaseya. The latest hack affected some fifteen hundred companies worldwide that use Kaseya’s products through their IT service providers. A Swedish supermarket chain had to close hundreds of stores for some time because the checkout systems no longer worked. JBS paid the hackers $11 million to unencrypt its computer systems. In total, according to the US Attorney General, the gang extorted at least $200 million from its victims.
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In response to such attacks, US President Joe Biden discussed cybercrime with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when the two met in Geneva in June. Biden warned Putin on that occasion that the Americans would intervene themselves if necessary if the Russian authorities failed to do so. This fall, Western investigative services already managed to penetrate REvil’s servers. The US justice system also offered ten million dollars for information about the leaders of the gang.
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