US Authorities Charge Alleged Key Member of Russian Karakurt Ransomware Outfit

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a statement this week charging a member of a Russian cybercrime group with financial fraud, extortion, and money laundering in a U.S. court. The 33-year-old Moscow-based Latvian national Deniss Zolotarjovs was extradited to the United States earlier this month after being detained by Georgian authorities in December 2023.

Court records indicate that Zolotarjovs is linked with the ransomware outfit Karakurt, which exfiltrates victim data and holds it hostage until a cryptocurrency ransom is paid. The gang runs an auction portal and leak site where they identify the victim companies and allow users to download stolen data. The group has demanded ransom in Bitcoin ranging from $25,000 to $13 million.

Previous findings suggest that Karakurt was related to the now-defunct ransomware gang Conti. Researchers believe Karakurt was a side project of the group behind Conti, allowing them to monetise data stolen during attacks when organisations were able to halt the ransomware encryption process. Zolotarjovs allegedly used the alias “Sforza_cesarini” and was an active member of Karakurt.

He is suspected o

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