Lockbit ransomware has been attacking the cyber world since 2019 but started to gain public attention after leading companies such as Thales, Royal Mail, TSMC and Continental fell victim. After a computer system is successfully infected with Lockbit, the data will be locked and can only be accessed again by paying a ransom worth tens of millions.
Today the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an indictment against Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev who is among the administrators and developers of Lockbit. He faces 26 charges of being involved in conspiracy to commit fraud and extortion to damage computer systems. If found guilty, Khoroshev could face up to 185 years in prison.
He is still at large and therefore the FBI is offering a reward of $10 million (~RM48 million) for information that will lead to his arrest before being dragged to court. As of 2019, it is estimated that there are over 2000 Lockbit victims worldwide with as much as $500 million in ransom paid. Khoroshev receives 20% for every ransom paid.
In the attack on Thales in 2022, the stolen data was then leaked onto the dark web. Among the vulnerable is the contract between Thales and Malaysia.