US reveals charges against alleged LockBit ransomware developer

us government Charged The Russian-Israeli dual national allegedly created and maintained LockBit’s malware code while receiving more than $230,000 in cryptocurrency for his work. Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel and awaits extradition to the United States, making him the third member of the LockBit ransomware group to be detained.

The authorities are Still looking for Lockbit leader Dmitry Khoroshevwith rewards up to $10 million. U.S. Department of Justice Claim in May Based on a 20% share of ransoms extorted by affiliates using the group’s software, “Khoroshev alone allegedly received at least $100 million in digital currency payments through his developer stake in LockBit ransom payments.”

Law enforcement linked Panev to LockBit after discovering login credentials for a darknet repository on his computer that contained “multiple versions of the LockBit builder,” a tool that allows members to “target specific victims.” “The attackers generated customized versions of the LockBit ransomware malware.”

In an interview with Israeli police, Panev allegedly admitted to writing and maintaining LockBit’s malware code. Some of the code he created is said to be able to disable Windows Defender antivirus software, run the malware on multiple computers on the network, and print LockBit’s ransom message on all printers on the victim’s network. Panev claimed he did not initially realize he was participating in illegal activity, according to the indictment.