International Crackdown on Russian Ransomware Provider

The US, UK, and Australia have sanctioned a Russian web-hosting provider, Zservers, and two associated individuals for supporting the LockBit ransomware syndicate. This move highlights international efforts to combat cybercrime impacting global security. LockBit has inflicted significant damage and financial loss worldwide since 2019.

The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have taken decisive action against a Russian web-hosting provider, Zservers, known for its role in facilitating ransomware operations. On Tuesday, sanctions were imposed on the company and two Russian men linked to the infamous LockBit ransomware syndicate.

The sanctions, announced by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control along with UK and Australian counterparts, target Zservers, a bulletproof hosting service that has allegedly provided LockBit with servers engineered to defy law enforcement requests. Since its inception in 2019, LockBit has become the most widespread ransomware, extracting over $120 million from global victims, according to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, emphasized the importance of disrupting criminal cyber networks to safeguard national security. This international collaboration is a significant step towards combating cybercrime, which is described as the most costly and disruptive form of modern crime.

(With inputs from agencies.)