Ukraine's cyber police has apprehended a Russian hacker involved in the development of a crypter for the Conti and LockBit ransomware operations as part of Operation Endgame, which has been regarded as the largest international law enforcement operation against botnets and dropper malware, reports Security Affairs.
Aside from the arrest, police were also able to sequester the hacker's computers, mobile devices, and draft records. Ukrainian police, using intelligence from its Dutch counterpart, discovered that the Russian national's crypters enabled bypass of antivirus systems. Such intelligence revealed that the crypter had been leveraged in a Conti ransomware attack against organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2021, with the hacker also proceeding to assist in LockBit operations.
Charges involving unauthorized interference in communication networks have been filed against the hacker, who could be imprisoned for up to 15 years if convicted.
