The US and Australia have joined forces with the UK to sanction 16 individuals accused of being part of the world’s most wanted cybercrime gang, Evil Corp. The group is believed to have stolen around $300m over nearly a decade through mafia-style hacking attacks.
For years, Evil Corp’s leader, Maksim Yakubets, denied involvement in the group when interviewed by the BBC in 2021. However, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has now revealed that his father, Viktor Yakubets, was secretly supporting him and aiding in laundering stolen funds.
The NCA says Viktor Yakubets was a key part of Evil Corp, while Maksim’s brother Artem was also named as part of the US sanctions. Other individuals with connections to the Yakubets family were sanctioned, including a former high-ranking FSB official who helped protect the group.
Another notable connection is Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, who is linked to both Evil Corp and LockBit, a notorious ransomware gang. The NCA says this indicates that hackers are working across groups to carry out attacks.
In August, the UK executed search warrants and arrested two individuals suspected of being linked to LockBit, as well as another individual for money laundering offences. Four arrests were made in total, with sanctions imposed on 16 individuals accused of involvement in Evil Corp and other cybercrime groups.
The NCA says the actions send a clear message to the Kremlin that it will not tolerate Russian cyber-attacks, whether from the state or its cyber-criminal ecosystem.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy98824lk4o