US Indicts Two Russians for $16 Million Ransomware Scheme

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged two Russian nationals, Roman Berezhnoy and Egor Nikolaevich Glebov, for allegedly operating a ransomware group that extorted over $16 million from numerous American organizations, including a children's hospital. The duo reportedly used Phobos ransomware to infiltrate networks, steal and encrypt data, and demand ransom payments for decryption keys while threatening to expose stolen files on the dark web. They were arrested on October 30, with formal charges announced the next day, which include multiple counts related to wire fraud, extortion, and unauthorized access to protected computers. If convicted, they face significant prison sentences, with charges related to wire fraud carrying a potential maximum of 20 years. Their arrest is part of a broader crackdown on cybercrime, coinciding with recent actions against other cybercriminals, including the extradition of Evgenii Ptitsyn. The DOJ emphasized the critical need to disrupt the operations of such cybercriminal organizations for national security.