Ukrainian Conti Ransomware Suspect Extradited to US from Ireland Hackread Cybersecurity News Data Breaches Tech AI Crypto and More

pA Ukrainian national accused of helping run one of the worlds most damaging ransomware operations Conti is now in US custody After being extradited from Ireland 43yearold Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko made his first court appearance in the Middle District of Tennessee to face charges tied to the Conti ransomware groupppProsecutors allege that between 2020 and 2022 Lytvynenko worked with others to spread Conti ransomware all over the globe The group infiltrated computer systems locked critical files and demanded cryptocurrency payments to restore access and keep stolen data privateppIt also became one of the most aggressive and profitable operations of its kind before breaking apart in 2022 The FBI estimates the group carried out more than a thousand attacks in 47 US states Puerto Rico and over 30 countries collecting about 150 million dollars in ransom payments more than any other ransomware strain targeting critical infrastructure at the timeppConti hit a long list of targets over the years The Fourth District Court of Louisiana was among the first known targets in September 2020 followed by the Broward County Schools district in Fort Lauderdale in April 2021 ppLater that year in December Scandinavian hotel chain Nordic Choice was hit disrupting operations across multiple locations The following months brought more highprofile attacks including KP Snacks the United Kingdoms secondlargest snack maker in February 2022 and German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex in April 2022ppThe groups methods were as aggressive as they were sophisticated Conti actors exploited major security flaws such as the Log4j vulnerability and ProxyShell exploits both of which were widely abused by cybercriminals at the time ppBut the group also faced problems of its own after an insider using the name m1Geelka leaked internal chats and code claiming the operators were underpaying their recruits That leak exposed details about how the gang worked and who was involvedppIn one particularly controversial incident Conti published thousands of records stolen from Graff a luxury jewellery retailer based in the United Kingdom in October 2021 The data included information on highprofile clients among them members of royal families from Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Qatar Following backlash the group issued an unusual public apology claiming it had not intended to harm those specific individualsppAuthorities believe Lytvynenko managed stolen data from numerous victims and was involved in sending ransom notes during Contis attacks Irish police arrested him in July 2023 at the request of US officials and after months of legal proceedings he was extradited earlier this month Court filings also allege that he continued to engage in cybercrime right up until his arrest in IrelandppAccording to the US Department of Justices press release Lytvynenko faces one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud which carries up to twenty yearsppThe latest extradition adds to a series of actions targeting ransomware operators linked to Conti and similar groups In June 2025 Ukrainian police arrested a ransomware cryptor developer connected to both the Conti and LockBit gangs That arrest was part of Operation Endgame a coordinated international effort aimed at dismantling the infrastructure and personnel behind major cybercrime networksppYour email address will not be published Required fields are marked ppComment ppName ppEmail ppWebsite pp

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