Hackread reports that Russian programmer Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev — who has been accused of being involved with the LockBit, Hive, and Babuk ransomware operations — has reportedly been apprehended and indicted by Russian authorities for developing data encrypting software that could be leveraged for ransomware extortion activities.
Matveev, also known as Wazawaka, Boriselcin, m1x, and Uhodiransomwar, has been wanted by the U.S. since last year due to his role in intrusions that resulted in the extortion of at least $75 million, with the Justice Department providing a $10 million bounty for his apprehension. Aside from being involved in Hive and Babuk ransomware attacks against a New Jersey healthcare non-governmental organization and the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in 2022 and 2021, respectively, Matveev has also been accused of assisting in the LockBit attack against 1,400 organizations in 2022. Such a development was noted by cybersecurity experts to be a significant step in combating ransomware operations despite uncertainties regarding Matveev's extradition to the U.S.
