Belarusian Ransom Cartel Mastermind Gets 16 Years in Prison

Summary

Maksim Silnikau, the creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware group, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in the US. He managed the operation by recruiting members, providing tools and compromised data, and maintaining a hidden website for attack management and fund distribution. The group targeted at least 18 organizations between 2021 and 2023, engaging in data theft and extortion.

Full text

The Belarusian creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware was sentenced to 16 years in prison in the US. Maksim Silnikau, 40, built the ransomware operation and recruited other individuals through cybercrime forums, according to documents presented in court. Silnikau provided Ransom Cartel conspirators with stolen credentials and other information on compromised computers, as well as with tools to encrypt those systems. Additionally, the court documents show, he maintained a hidden website used to manage and monitor ransomware attacks, communicate with other conspirators and with victims, and manage the distribution of funds between participants. Between 2021 and 2023, Ransom Cartel targeted at least 18 organizations in the US and abroad, stealing victims’ data and demanding monetary payments in exchange for decryption keys or the promise not to publish the stolen information. According to the documents presented in court, the Ransom Cartel operation was disrupted when Silnikau was arrested in 2023.Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. In a separate case, Silnikau was charged with participating in the distribution of Angler (a notorious exploit kit disrupted in 2016 that was widely used for the deployment of malware) and of other malware and online scams. Together with Volodymyr Kadariya, a Belarusian and Ukrainian national, and Andrei Tarasov, a Russian national, Silnikau allegedly distributed malware and other threats through malvertising and other means between 2013 and 2022. Silnikau was arrested in Spain and extradited to the US in 2024 from Poland. Tarasov was arrested in Germany, but was released after six months and returned to Russia. In 2024, the US posted a $2.5 million reward for information on Kadariya. On August 5, Silnikau was sentenced to 16 years for conspiracy to commit offenses against the US, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. Related: Two Scattered Spider Hackers Sentenced to Jail in UK Related: Alleged Scattered Spider Hacker Extradited to US Related: Google, FBI Disrupt NetNut Residential Proxy Network Powered by Millions of Devices Related: Microsoft and Allies Smash Shared Infrastructure of Amadey and StealC Malware Written By Ionut Arghire Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek. Daily Briefing Newsletter Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing for the latest cybersecurity threats, trends, and expert insights. 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