news 
U.S. prosecutors in New Jersey have publicly announced charges against Rostislav Panev, a 51-year-old dual Russian-Israeli national accused of being a key developer in the notorious LockBit ransomware gang.
Panev is currently in Israeli custody and faces extradition to the United States. This marks the third member of the group to be arrested, following previous apprehensions of Mikhail Vasiliev in Canada in 2022 and Ruslan Astamirov in the U.S. in 2023.
LockBit is one of the most prolific ransomware gangs globally, accused of launching crippling data-stealing cyberattacks on thousands of companies worldwide, including those in the United States. The group’s malicious activities are believed to have resulted in at least $500 million in ransom payments alone.
Notably, authorities had previously identified and seized LockBit’s infrastructure during a February takedown operation. However, the group briefly rebounded as its leader, identified by U.K. and U.S. authorities as Dmitry Khoroshev, remains at large.
This latest development marks a significant milestone for law enforcement agencies in their efforts to dismantle the notorious gang. The three arrested individuals – Panev, Vasiliev, and Astamirov – are just four out of seven LockBit members who have been indicted to date.
Source: techcrunch.com
