The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday that it has sanctioned members of the Russian cybercriminal group Evil Corp in a coordinated effort with the UK and Australia. This move targeted seven individuals and two entities associated with the group, continuing a series of measures initially set in 2019. The U.S. also indicted one member for using Bitpaymer ransomware against U.S. victims, which demanded ransom payments in cryptocurrency.

Evil Corp is notorious for deploying Dridex malware to steal login credentials from financial institutions, causing over $100 million in global losses, the Treasury Department described. The group has also used cryptocurrency to further its operations. Members like Aleksey Yevgenevich Shchetinin facilitated the exchange of millions of dollars in virtual and fiat currencies to aid ransomware activities. The announcement details:

Today’s designation also coincides with the second day of the U.S.-hosted Counter Ransomware Initiative summit which involves over 50 countries working together to counter the threat of ransomware.

The U.S. continues to expand sanctions against Evil Corp, implicating its leader Maksim Yakubets and others in financial crimes and cryptocurrency-linked transactions, the Treasury Department added.

Evil Corp members have strong ties to high-level Russian officials, with some using their influence to protect the group from legal repercussions, the Treasury Department explained. Maksim’s father-in-law, Eduard Benderskiy, has used his contacts within Russia’s security services to shield the group. Maksim also partnered with Aleksandr Ryzhenkov to develop and deploy ransomware against U.S.-based targets. OFAC’s latest sanctions block U.S. assets held by these individuals and entities, signaling the government’s determination to dismantle Evil Corp’s operations. Financial institutions and other entities that engage with these sanctioned individuals, including those facilitating cryptocurrency transactions, risk severe penalties.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。