Rostislav Panev, 51, a Russian-Israeli dual national accused of being the key developer in the LockBit ransomware cartel, was publicly announced by US prosecutors in New Jersey. Panev Currently held by Israel. He is facing extradition to the United States.
LockBit is accused of launching data-stealing cyber attacks on thousands of companies around the world, including in the US, and is single-handedly responsible for at least $500 million in payouts. Authorities uncovered and seized LockBit's infrastructure in a takedown operation back in February. LockBit bounced back briefly. as its leader; UK and US authorities named Dmitry Khoroshev.It's still huge.
Three for three per prosecutor after LockBit's associates were caught. Mikhail Vasiliev in Canada in 2022Then Ruslan Astamirov in the US in 2023Panev is one of seven LockBit members charged so far.