Russia dismantles hacker group REvil on request from Washington

Ruslan Khansvyarov, a member of the REvil ransomware crime group, inside a cage of defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, January 15, 2022. via REUTERS - TVERSKOY DISTRICT COURT

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Russia announced on Friday January 14 that it had dismantled, at the request of the United States, the group of hackers REvil, considered to be the most formidable author of ransomware attacks.

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With our correspondent in Moscow, 

Fourteen arrests, 500,000 euros of computer equipment seized, as well as twenty luxury cars.

This was announced on Friday by the Russian security services after a punch action perpetrated on 25 sites in five regions of the country.

The Federal Security Service, the FSB, further clarified that it had acted at the request of the United States and pointed out that the hacker group REvil had been dismantled.

This group of Russian-speaking hackers had made a name for itself across the Atlantic by first attacking the American computer group

, before extorting more than 4 million dollars from the

pipeline network , the main source of supply. in essence from the majority of the American East, to give it back control of its facilities.

 Washington satisfied

The operation highlights the strengthening of cooperation between Moscow and Washington in the fight against cybercrime concluded last June in Geneva by Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden during their first meeting.

For its part, Washington said it was satisfied with these initial measures, specifying however that this operation had nothing to do with what was happening between Russia and Ukraine.

Those arrested face up to seven years in prison.

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• Russia

• United States

• Cybercriminality