US and UK agencies go after anonymity in latest LockBit hit
May 23, 2024 – Published on IT Brew
In simultaneous announcements on May 7 that felt only slightly like the finale to a Scooby-Doo episode, the US Department of Justice and the UK’s National Crime Agency pulled the mask off the individual they allege to be behind the digital persona known as “LockBitSupp”—someone the government orgs claim to be a leading figure behind the operation of the ransomware group LockBit.
“Through the meticulous work of our investigators and prosecutors, we have unmasked the man behind ‘LockBitSupp,’” Nicole M. Argentieri, principal deputy assistant attorney general, head of the criminal division, said in a May 7 statement, naming the Russian individual believed to be behind LockBitSupp—Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev—and declaring a 26-count indictment against him.
Drew Schmitt, practice lead on the GRIT research and intelligence team at cybersecurity provider GuidePoint Security, follows ransomware patterns and sees Tuesday’s identity revelation as a demonstration of effective law-enforcement cooperation, and an impactful hit against cybercriminals feeling comfortable in their anonymity.
“They’re saying, ‘Despite how good you think you are at anonymity, we’re finding ways to still find out who you are…despite where you are in the world,’” Schmitt told IT Brew.
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