Unsealed Indictment Exposes Mastermind Behind Notorious Ransomware Gangs

The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed a superseding indictment against Volodymyr Viktorovich Tymoshchuk, a Ukrainian national accused of serving as an administrator in three notorious ransomware operations: LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Nefilim.

According to the DOJ, “Volodymyr Tymoshchuk is charged for his role in ransomware schemes that extorted more than 250 companies across the United States and hundreds more around the world.” The indictment alleges that from December 2018 to October 2021 Tymoshchuk and his co-conspirators deployed customised ransomware aimed at encrypting networks across the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, causing millions of dollars in losses including remediation costs and ransom payments.

It further states that between July 2019 and June 2020 he and associates compromised more than 250 victim companies using LockerGoga and MegaCortex, with law enforcement often notifying victims before encryption could occur. From July 2020 through October 2021 he allegedly became an administrator for Nefilim, providing affiliates with access to the ransomware in exchange for 20 per cent of the ransom proceeds. He faces a seven-count indictment and, if convicted, could face decades in prison.