FBI seized $ 1.8 million bitcoins related to Revil and Gandcrab ransomware

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized over $ 1.8 million worth of bitcoin in connection with ransomware payments. This cryptocurrency is owned by a subsidiary of the Gandcrab and Revil / Sodinokibi ransomware.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized nearly 40 bitcoins from a Russian citizen linked to the Revil and Gandcrab ransomware, according to an unsealed court document on Tuesday. The forfeiture complaint contains:

“The United States is filing a verified complaint against 39.89138522 bitcoins seized from the Exodus wallet … currently in the custody and custody of the Dallas division of the FBI.”

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was priced at around $ 47,136, resulting in a total loss of nearly $ 1.88 million.

Source: TradingView

The arrest took place on August 3rd. While the FBI did not disclose how access to the wallet was obtained, court documents state that the wallet containing Revil’s ransom payments belongs to an identified partner identified as Aleksandr Sikerin (aka Alexander Sikerin and Oleksandr Sikerin.), Whose The email address is engfog1337@gmail.com.

According to Bleeping Computer, the name “engfog” in the email address is linked to a famous branch of Gandcrab and Revil / Sodinokibi called “Lalartu”.

The Gandcrab and Revil organizations operate as Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), where core operators work with third-party hackers called affiliates, the news agency added. Operators typically earn between 20% and 30% of the ransom.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had seized $ 6.1 million from Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national “who is accused of using the Sodinokibi / Revil ransomware to target companies and To attack organizations in the United States “.

Meanwhile, the US government is stepping up its efforts to combat such attacks. The Treasury Department has sanctioned two crypto exchanges involved in ransom payments.

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