Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy in Connection with Conti Ransomware

Source: Homeland Security Today

Following his extradition from Ireland, Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko, 44, a Ukrainian national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a conspiracy to deploy Conti, a ransomware variant that infected more than 1,000 computers and networks worldwide. Lytvynenko, of Cork, Ireland, conspired with others to deploy Conti ransomware to extort victims and steal their data. Court filings allege the conspirators hacked into victims’ computers and networks, encrypted data, and demanded a ransom to restore the victims’ access to their files and to avoid public disclosure of the stolen information. From 2020 until 2022, Conti was used to attack computers and networks in 47 states, 31 foreign countries, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The FBI estimates that, as of Jan. 2022, Conti ransomware attacks resulted in at least $150 million in ransom payments. Full Story