The British National Crime Agency (NCA), the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have announced the unmasking of the leading head of the LockBit gang. The Russian Dmitry Khoroshev probably lives south of Moscow.
One or "the" leader of what was once the world's most dangerous cybercrime group, LockBit, has been exposed and sanctioned by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK. Russian citizen Dmitry Khoroshev, also known as LockBitSupp, was the administrator and developer of the LockBit ransomware group. According to various media, the 31-year-old is said to live in the Russian town of Voronesh, about 500 kilometers south of Moscow.
The United States offered a $10 million reward
The sanctions against him were announced today by the FCDO, together with the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. Although Khoroshev relied on anonymity, the US State Department had offered a $10 million reward for information that would help authorities arrest Khoroshev.
LockBit offered Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), providing global hackers or “affiliates” with the necessary tools and infrastructure to launch attacks. The NCA infiltrated the group and took over its services, including the leak website on the dark web. Between June 2022 and February 2024, more than 7.000 attacks were carried out using LockBit, with the US, UK, France, Germany and China most affected. The group has tried to recover, but the global threat of LockBit has significantly diminished thanks to this investigation.
Subscribe to our newsletter now
Read the best news from B2B CYBER SECURITY once a monthIn mid-March, an interview was given on TheRecord in which the head of the LockBit gang said after the attack on the LockBit systems: "In the short term, profits will decline. In the long term, I will prove that not even the FBI can stop me." In the meantime, new attacks have already been carried out by LockBit.
Editor/sel
More at NationalCrimeAgency.gov.uk