[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f5WRfYeRU3guAoenjirYRqrGTQJY1l4_Nvjy3cAa_okk":3},{"article":4,"iocs":41,"watch_terms":50},{"id":5,"title":6,"slug":7,"summary":8,"ai_summary":9,"brief":10,"full_text":11,"url":12,"image_url":13,"published_at":14,"ingested_at":15,"relevance_score":16,"entities":17,"category_id":18,"category":19,"article_tags":23},"f7dfa768-6cfd-4a9d-9124-d1a1c57a8745","Russian access broker sentenced to over 6 years in prison for ransomware schemes","russian-access-broker-sentenced-to-over-6-years-in-prison-for-ransomware-schemes","A federal court in Indiana sentenced a Russian cybercriminal to 81 months in prison on charges related to his role as an initial access broker for ransomware groups. Aleksei Volkov, 26, of St. Petersburg, Russia, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to six federal charges stemming from his work with the Yanluowang ransomware group and other […] The post Russian access broker sentenced to over 6 years in prison for ransomware schemes appeared first on CyberScoop.","Aleksei Volkov, 26, a Russian cybercriminal operating as \"chubaka.kor,\" was sentenced to 81 months in prison by a federal court in Indiana for his role as an initial access broker supplying network access to ransomware groups, including Yanluowang. Between July 2021 and November 2022, Volkov facilitated dozens of attacks resulting in over $9 million in confirmed losses and $24 million in intended losses, receiving compensation through flat fees or ransom percentages. As part of sentencing, he was ordered to pay $9.1 million in restitution and forfeit equipment; Yanluowang employed escalation tactics including harassing calls, DDoS attacks, and public data leaks to pressure victims.","Russian access broker sentenced to 81 months for facilitating ransomware attacks via Yanluowang group.","A federal court in Indiana sentenced a Russian cybercriminal to 81 months in prison on charges related to his role as an initial access broker for ransomware groups. Aleksei Volkov, 26, of St. Petersburg, Russia, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to six federal charges stemming from his work with the Yanluowang ransomware group and other cybercriminal organizations between July 2021 and November 2022. He was arrested in Rome and subsequently extradited to the United States. Volkov, also known as “chubaka.kor,” operated as an initial access broker, a specialized role in which he identified and exploited vulnerabilities in corporate networks and sold that access to ransomware operators. The function has become increasingly common in the ransomware ecosystem, enabling criminals to profit from attacks without directly deploying malware or executing extortion demands. According to court documents, Volkov facilitated dozens of attacks that resulted in more than $9 million in confirmed losses to victims and over $24 million in intended losses. Prosecutors identified seven specific U.S. businesses targeted during the 16-month period, including an engineering firm and a bank. Two victims paid a combined $1.5 million in ransom payments. The Yanluowang ransomware group employed tactics beyond simple data encryption. Victims reported receiving harassing phone calls and experiencing distributed denial of service attacks after their data was stolen, representing an evolution in how ransomware operators apply pressure to targets. Volkov received compensation through either flat fees for providing network access or percentages of ransom payments collected from victims. When victims refused to pay, conspirators published stolen data on leak websites designed to shame companies and potentially encourage future victims to comply with demands. His guilty plea covered charges filed in two separate jurisdictions that were later consolidated, including unlawful transfer of a means of identification, trafficking in access information, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of his sentence, Volkov must pay full restitution to victims, including at least $9.1 million to identified companies, and forfeit equipment used in his criminal activities. Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy Link","https:\u002F\u002Fcyberscoop.com\u002Faleksei-volkov-russian-initial-access-broker-sentenced-ransomware\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fcyberscoop.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002Fsites\u002F3\u002F2025\u002F07\u002FGettyImages-1481606316.jpg","2026-03-24T14:22:02+00:00","2026-03-24T15:00:06.084868+00:00",8,[],"7d8b5ab8-ea0b-4ced-ae97-ec251b86993a",{"id":18,"icon":20,"name":21,"slug":22},null,"Ransomware","ransomware",[24,29,31,36],{"category":25},{"id":26,"icon":20,"name":27,"slug":28},"6cbdd207-aaa1-4176-9534-e156b125e917","Nation-state","nation-state",{"category":30},{"id":18,"icon":20,"name":21,"slug":22},{"category":32},{"id":33,"icon":20,"name":34,"slug":35},"c5eccf7c-abbc-4bd3-bbed-e6da5cba8e73","Incident Response","incident-response",{"category":37},{"id":38,"icon":20,"name":39,"slug":40},"e7b231c8-5f79-4465-8d38-1ef13aea5a14","Threat Intelligence","threat-intelligence",[42,46],{"type":43,"value":44,"context":45},"malware","Yanluowang","Ransomware group for which Volkov provided initial access; employed data encryption, DDoS, harassment calls, and leak site publication",{"type":47,"value":48,"context":49},"email","chubaka.kor","Alias\u002Fhandle of Aleksei Volkov, Russian initial access broker",[]]