Remove Cryptocurrency Remove Government Remove Ransomware
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U.S. Offered $10M for Hacker Just Arrested by Russia

Krebs on Security

In January 2022, KrebsOnSecurity identified a Russian man named Mikhail Matveev as “ Wazawaka ,” a cybercriminal who was deeply involved in the formation and operation of multiple ransomware groups. government indicted Matveev as a top ransomware purveyor a year later, offering $10 million for information leading to his arrest.

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Ransomware Is Getting Ugly

Schneier on Security

Modern ransomware has two dimensions: pay to get your data back, and pay not to have your data dumped on the Internet. The Colonial Pipeline is another current high-profile ransomware victim. Ransomware has become the most profitable cybercrime business model, and until we solve those two problems, that’s not going to change.

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How The FBI Seized Bitcoin from Colonial Pipeline Hackers – Does Law Enforcement Have More Control Over Cryptocurrencies Than People Believe?

Joseph Steinberg

According to the FBI, it has successfully seized most of the Bitcoin ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline to “Darkside” criminals after the highly publicized ransomware attack that led to recent gas shortages in multiple US States. Could Satoshi Nakomoto even be some government agency somewhere?

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On the Dangers of Cryptocurrencies and the Uselessness of Blockchain

Schneier on Security

Earlier this month, I and others wrote a letter to Congress, basically saying that cryptocurrencies are an complete and total disaster, and urging them to regulate the space. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be some governance system on top of the blockchain that enables reversals. They still require governance.

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DarkSide Ransomware Gang Quits After Servers, Bitcoin Stash Seized

Krebs on Security

The DarkSide ransomware affiliate program responsible for the six-day outage at Colonial Pipeline this week that led to fuel shortages and price spikes across the country is running for the hills. The DarkSide message includes passages apparently penned by a leader of the REvil ransomware-as-a-service platform.

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Alleged Co-Founder of Garantex Arrested in India

Krebs on Security

Authorities in India today arrested the alleged co-founder of Garantex , a cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for facilitating tens of billions of dollars in money laundering by transnational criminal and cybercriminal organizations.

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Russian Phobos ransomware operator faces cybercrime charges

Security Affairs

Russian Phobos ransomware operator Evgenii Ptitsyn, accused of managing attacks, was extradited from South Korea to the US to face cybercrime charges. Russian Phobos ransomware operator Evgenii Ptitsyn, suspected of playing a key role in the ransomware operations, was extradited from South Korea to the US to face cybercrime charges.