The Australian, British, and American (AUKUS) alliance has imposed sanctions on members of Russia-backed cyber actor “Evil Corp.”
The group is notorious for cyber disruptions, particularly ransomware attacks, across Europe and the US that have “resulted in millions of dollars of losses” to governments, health, and public institutions, according to the government consortium.
Sanctions in Australia
Australia’s resolution dictates a criminal offense for people who provide, use, or deal with the assets of Maksim Viktorovich Yakubets, Igor Olegovich Turashev, and Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov, all of whom are Evil Corp senior members.
The three are also banned from entering the country under the sanction.
“Australia remains committed to promoting a rules-based cyberspace, grounded in international law and the norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.” Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong stated.
Minister for Cyber Security Tony Burke added that the decision is “another example” of Canberra’s “commitment to working with international partners to shut down the criminal organisations that have built a business model on ransomware.”
Seven in US
Meanwhile, the US has issued penalties for seven unnamed associates and two additional personalities linked to the group.
The US Department of Justice simultaneously issued an indictment for Evil Corp Leader and FounderYakubets for facilitating computer-targeting ransomware attacks on American victims.
Yakubets currently has a $5-million bounty in the country.
Sixteen Under British Government
Including Yakubets, London released 16 names it specified through the coordinated AUKUS investigation.
“Cyber-crime causes immense damage to people and business across the world but today’s action is evidence that there are serious consequences for those involved,” UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis remarked.
“We will continue to work with our international partners to pursue and expose malicious cyber activity and protect the public.”
Evil Corp Hackers
AUKUS noted that Evil Corp operates in a “mafia-style” pattern to initiate cyber campaigns against more than 40 countries. Its activities leverage varying software to exploit computers and harvest the credentials of its victims.
In the US, the crime group’s disruptions have resulted in over $100 million in damages.
During the alliance’s announcement, the Australian Federal Police, the UK National Crime Agency, and the FBI released a joint paper confirming the entity’s ties to the Russian Intelligence Services.