Alleged Trickbot, Conti ransomware members face US, UK sanctions

Eleven individuals alleged to be involved in the Trickbot cybercrime gang have been sanctioned by the U.S. and UK, most of whom were also among the nine people who have been charged for also being part of the Conti ransomware operation, Wired reports. Included in the individuals sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury and UK Foreign Office were alleged Trickbot malware testing leader Maksim Galochkin, also known as Bentley, as well as other Trickbot members who were claimed to be the operation's coders and administrators. Galochkin and 10 others have also been indicted for allegedly leveraging Trickbot to facilitate money and data theft from organizations around the world, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. "Today's announcement shows our ongoing commitment to bringing the most heinous cyber criminals to justicethose who have devoted themselves to inflicting harm on the American public, our hospitals, schools, and businesses. Cybercriminals know that we will use every lawful tool at our disposal to identify them, tirelessly pursue them, and disrupt their criminal activity. We, alongside our federal and international partners, will continue to impose costs through joint operations no matter where these criminals may attempt to hide," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.