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Mikhail Vasiliev, 33, a dual Russian and Canadian citizen was arrested in Ontario, Canada on October 26th. He is accused of participating in the LockBit global ransomware campaign.

During his arrest, police seized eight computers, 32 external hard drives, and €400,000   in cryptocurrencies the equivalent of $41,528 according to Europol.

Vasiliev is being charged in the District of New Jersey where the criminal complaint was unsealed on November 10th.

He is awaiting extradition to the U.S. and will be charged with “conspiracy to intentionally damage protected computers and to transmit ransom demands.”

The charges carry a maximum prison term of five years.

LockBit global ransomware international campaign 

The LockBit ransomware operation has committed cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure and industrial groups around the globe. Their latest victim was Entrust, the cybersecurity giant. 

It is alleged that Entrust retaliated with a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack which knocked the dark web site of LockBit offline.

According to court records LockBit ransomware was first used around January 2020.  And it is one of the most destructive ransomware variants.

LockBit has been used at least 1,000 times worldwide. LockBit hackers have made at least $100 million in ransom from their victims in the last 2 years.

The Lockbit operation is perhaps the largest ransomware gang. Along with Entrust, there have been attacks on tech manufacturer Foxconn, U.K. health vendor Advanced and IT giant Accenture.

 It is also alleged that Thales, the French aerospace and defense group may have staved off a recent attack.

LockBit also leaked 40 terabytes of data stolen from the German carmaker, Continental.

Joint cybercrime investigation

The FBI investigation into the LockBit Global ransomware campaign since March 2020.  It is a joint investigation with the French National Gendarmerie and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, as well as the Canadian Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

During the arrest, police seized eight computers, 32 external hard drives, and €400,000 in cryptocurrencies, Europol said.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said “This arrest is the result of over two-and-a-half-years of an investigation into the LockBit ransomware group, which has harmed victims in the United States and around the world. It is also a result of more than a decade of experience that FBI agents, Justice Department prosecutors, and our international partners have built dismantling cyber threats.”

“Let this be yet another warning to ransomware actors: working with partners around the world, the Department of Justice will continue to disrupt cyber threats and hold perpetrators to account. With our partners, we will use every available tool to disrupt, deter, and punish cyber criminals,” she added.