Two Russian Men Plead Guilty in LockBit Ransomware Attacks (1)

Two Russian nationals pleaded guilty to their roles in ransomware attacks in the US, Asia, Europe and Africa for a notorious hacking gang known as LockBit.

Ruslan Astamirov and Mikhail Vasiliev admitted they helped to deploy the ransomware variant, which first appeared in 2020. It soon became one of the most destructive in the world, leading to attacks against more than 2,500 victims and ransom payments of at least $500 million, according to the Justice Department.

The men pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, where six people have been charged over LockBit attacks, including Dimitry Khoroshev ...