Russian national Dimitry Khoroshev unmasked by Australia, US and UK as mastermind of world’s most notorious cyber crime gang.
The leader of one the world’s most prolific cyber crime gangs has been unmasked and sanctioned by Australia, Britain and the United States, following a years-long international disruption campaign. Khoroshev had remained an enigma while he hid behind online monikers “LockBitSupp” and “putinkrab”. He evaded identification and bragged that people wouldn’t be able to reveal their offline identity — even offering a $US10 million reward to anyone who could reveal his identity.
LockBit ransomware, a malicious software that encrypts data, was used in 18 per cent of total reported Australian ransomware incidents in 2022-23 with 119 reported victims. Global data obtained by law enforcement agencies from their systems showed that between June 2022 and February 2024, more than 7000 attacks were built using their services.
US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said Khoroshev had “conceived, developed, and administered” the group, wreaking havoc and causing billions of dollars in damage to thousands of victims around the globe. “For too long, criminals like those behind LockBit have hidden in the shadows,” she said. “Our government is changing that. Hunting down cyber criminals by working with our international partners to hack the hackers and punishing them where we can.”