U.S. authorities have unmasked and indicted the ringleader of LockBit, a prolific ransomware operation that has extorted victims out of half a billion dollars. He faces more than two dozen criminal counts.
According to a 26-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday, Dmitry Khoroshev, 31, acted as LockBit's “developer and administrator,” steering its code's development and recruiting affiliates to deploy the ransomware against its victims. The alleged cybercriminal received 20% of each ransom payment for his role in the scheme, raking in $100 million in cryptocurrencies over roughly four years, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday in a statement.
“Today's indictment…continues the FBI's ongoing disruption of the BlockBit criminal ecosystem,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the statement.
LockBit has extorted at least $500 million from roughly 2,500 victims in more than 120 countries since its inception in 2019, according to prosecutors. However, it is also responsible for several billions of dollars in “broader losses” related to lost revenues, incident responses and ransom recoveries, the U.S. Justice Department said in its statement.
In the indictment, U.S. authorities called for Khoroshev to forfeit his $100 million cut of the ill-gotten gains. In the meantime, the UK, U.S., and Australia have sanctioned the mastermind, freezing his assets and issuing bans against his traveling.
The U.S. State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to Khoroshev arrest.
This latest indictment comes several months after authorities took steps to shutter the ransomware operation. In February, international law enforcement seized LockBit's infrastructure, effectively disrupting its operations. Around that time, U.S authorities also charged two Russian cybercriminals with deploying Lockbit ransomware against a slew of companies and groups.