Russian National Faces 53 Years in Prison for Ransomware Attacks
A Russian national has pleaded guilty to acting as an initial access broker for the Yanluowang ransomware group, targeting seven U.S. businesses between July 2021 and November 2022. Prosecutors allege the attacks netted $1.5 million in ransom payments, with victims including an engineering firm and a bank.
The accused, along with unnamed co-conspirators, employed DDoS attacks and harassing phone calls to pressure victims after encrypting their data. Cisco Systems confirmed it was among the targets, attributing a May 2022 breach to the same group after an employee's compromised Google account led to credential theft.
Court documents indicate the defendant now faces up to 53 years imprisonment and $9.2 million in restitution. The case highlights growing international scrutiny of ransomware operations emanating from Russian-speaking cybercriminal networks.
