U.S. prosecutors in New Jersey on Friday publicly announced charges against Rostislav Panev, 51, a dual Russian-Israeli national accused of being a key developer of the LockBit ransomware gang. Panev is currently held by Israel and faces extradition to the United States.
LockBit is one of the most prolific ransomware gangs, accused of launching crippling data theft cyberattacks against thousands of companies around the world, including in the United States, and considered responsible for at least $500 million in ransoms alone. Authorities identified and seized LockBit infrastructure during a takedown operation in February, but LockBit briefly rebounded as its leader, named by British and American authorities as Dmitry Khoroshevremains at liberty.
It's three for three, prosecutors say, after arresting LockBit affiliates Mikhail Vassiliev in Canada in 2022SO Ruslan Astamirov in the United States in 2023and now Panev, out of a total of seven LockBit members charged to date.
#member #LockBit #ransomware #gang #arrested