Armenian national extradited over Ryuk ransomware, pleads guilty

An Armenian national, Karen Serobovich Vardanyan, was extradited from Ukraine to the U.S. and pleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud related to Ryuk ransomware attacks. From November 2019 to April 2020, Vardanyan accessed numerous computer networks to deploy ransomware, extorting companies for ransom payments in Bitcoin. He and co-conspirators are accused of obtaining approximately 1,610 bitcoins, valued over $15 million at the time.

Vardanyan faces up to 15 years in prison and is required to pay over $1.1 million in restitution. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the FBI and Ukrainian authorities.