Yaroslav Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national affiliated with the Russia-based REvil ransomware organisation, has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with the July file-encrypting malware assaults on various companies, including Kaseya.
The 22-year-old had previously been arrested in Poland in October 2021, prompting the US Justice Department (DoJ) to pursue accusations of conspiracy to commit fraud and similar activities involving computers, damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Ransomware is the digital version of extortion in which cybercriminals encrypt victims’ data and hold it hostage in exchange for a monetary payment to retrieve the data; otherwise, the stolen material is published publicly or sold to other third parties.
According to the DOJ, in addition to the high-profile attacks on JBS and Kaseya, REvil is believed to have infected over 175,000 systems, earning the organisation at least $200 million in virtual currency ransoms.
Vasinskyi, who was brought to Dallas on March 3 as part of an extradition deal between the United States and Poland, had his accusations publicly read in the Northern District of Texas. Vasinskyi risks a total prison term of 115 years if convicted on all counts.
“Just eight months after committing his alleged ransomware attack on Kaseya from overseas, this defendant has arrived in a Dallas courtroom to face justice,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “When we are attacked, we will work with our partners here and abroad to go after cybercriminals, wherever they may be.”
