Rostislav Panev, a dual Russian and Israeli national, has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for his alleged involvement with the LockBit ransomware group. Panev is accused of being a developer for the group and earning over $230,000 in cryptocurrency for his contributions. He was arrested in Israel in August and is currently awaiting extradition to the U.S. LockBit is a well-known ransomware group that has targeted major corporations, financial institutions, and government services worldwide. Panev communicated with LockBit members using the encrypted messaging app Telegram. He has reportedly cooperated with law enforcement by providing information about his activities. Panev's work included developing malware, deploying ransomware, and printing ransom notes across affected networks. Payments to Panev were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency mixing services. LockBit has caused billions of dollars in damages globally and extorted at least $500 million from over 2,500 victims across 120 countries. Although authorities have disrupted LockBit's infrastructure, the group remains active, and its alleged leader, Dmitry Khoroshev, is still at large.



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