CyberScoop reports that Russian national Aleksei Volkov is facing 81 months in an Indiana prison for helping major ransomware groups carry out dozens of attacks that resulted in more than $24 million in intended losses and over $9 million in real losses.
According to court documents, Volkov, also referred to as "chubaka.kor," allegedly operated as an initial access broker, identifying vulnerabilities in corporate networks and selling that entry point to ransomware groups, including Yanluowang. Aside from data encryption, the Yanluowang ransomware group used distributed denial-of-service attacks and harassment calls to pressure victims into paying, with threats to publish stolen data on leak websites if they refused.
Volkov was either paid through fixed fees for supplying network access or a share of the ransom payments collected from victims. Volkov pleaded guilty to six federal offenses related to his role in the Yanluowang ransomware group and other cybercrime groups from July 2021 through November 2022. The court also required the 26-year-old to give up any tools used in the scheme and repay victims in full, including at least $9.1 million to the impacted companies.
According to court documents, Volkov, also referred to as "chubaka.kor," allegedly operated as an initial access broker, identifying vulnerabilities in corporate networks and selling that entry point to ransomware groups, including Yanluowang. Aside from data encryption, the Yanluowang ransomware group used distributed denial-of-service attacks and harassment calls to pressure victims into paying, with threats to publish stolen data on leak websites if they refused.
Volkov was either paid through fixed fees for supplying network access or a share of the ransom payments collected from victims. Volkov pleaded guilty to six federal offenses related to his role in the Yanluowang ransomware group and other cybercrime groups from July 2021 through November 2022. The court also required the 26-year-old to give up any tools used in the scheme and repay victims in full, including at least $9.1 million to the impacted companies.
