A Ukrainian man pleaded guilty in the U.S. last week to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud for his role in a series of ransomware attacks that targeted companies in Canada, Australia and the U.S.<\/p>\n
Thirty-five-year-old Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, a resident of Spain, conspired with others to deploy ransomware against computer networks in multiple countries starting in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice<\/a> (DOJ).<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of the scheme, the conspirators generated a unique ransomware executable file for each victim, along with a corresponding decryption key and customized ransom note,\u201d the department said in a press release on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a victim paid the ransom demand, the perpetrators provided the decryption key, enabling the victim to decrypt files locked by the ransomware.\u201d<\/p>\n According to court documents referenced by the DOJ, administrators of the ransomware known as \u201cNefilim\u201d gave Stryzhak access to the ransomware code in 2021 in exchange for 20 per cent of his ransom proceeds.<\/p>\n \u201cStryzhak operated the ransomware through his account on the online Nefilim platform, known as the \u2018panel,\u2019\u201d the release read. \u201cNefilim administrators preferred to target companies located in the United States, Canada, or Australia with annual revenues exceeding US$100 million.\u201d<\/p>\n In its release, the DOJ did not disclose which companies were targeted or the amount of ransom Stryzhak was able to extract from any of his alleged cyberattacks.<\/p>\n The DOJ said that in the alleged extortion schemes, Stryzhak and his co-conspirators threatened that unless victims agreed to pay a ransom, stolen data would be published on \u201cCorporate Leaks\u201d websites maintained by Nefilim administrators.<\/p>\n Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in April of this year, according to the DOJ.<\/p>\n