A Ukrainian man accused of utilizing the Conti ransomware for cryptocurrency extortion was extradited from Eire to the US yesterday to start authorized proceedings in Tennessee, in line with the US Justice Division.
Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko was arrested and charged in 2023 for conspiring to contaminate folks’s computer systems, encrypt their knowledge, and maintain it for ransom.
The 43-year-old and his co-conspirators allegedly extorted over $500,000 price of crypto from two victims in Tennessee and shared a 3rd sufferer’s stolen knowledge on-line.
Lytvynenko’s alleged function concerned managing the stolen knowledge and serving to out with the ransom notes given to Conti victims.
Conti is a ransomware-as-a-service software created by Russian hacking collective “Wizard Spider” in 2019. The FBI claims that, as of January 2022, Conti has extracted $150 million from over 1,000 victims globally.
It additionally claims that the hacking software was the preferred in 2021 for attacking infrastructure.
Conti was utilized in Costa Rica in 2022 to disrupt 27 authorities establishments and demand a $16 million ransom. The group additionally attacked Eire’s well being service whereas demanding $20 million, however later rescinded its risk.
Lytvynenko faces as much as 5 years in jail for laptop fraud conspiracy and as much as 20 years for wire fraud conspiracy.
