A foreign national has acknowledged his significant involvement in ransomware assaults that impacted various businesses throughout the United States. The defendant, who was extradited from overseas, entered a guilty plea in federal court facing charges of conspiracy and computer fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors have directly connected him to the Ryuk ransomware strain, which was utilized in attacks against American firms during 2019 and 2020. This malicious operation involved a calculated effort to encrypt the systems of victims, demanding ransom payments for the decryption keys.
Specifically, Vardanyan collaborated with his associates to target a company in Michigan, which paid 200 bitcoins, equivalent to over $1.1 million at that time, to regain access to their network. They also launched an attack on a firm in Wilsonville, Oregon, and, in February 2020, targeted a school in Texas.
In total, Vardanyan and his accomplices unlawfully infiltrated the computer networks of numerous companies, deploying ransomware on hundreds of compromised servers and workstations. It is alleged that they received approximately 1,610 bitcoins in ransom payments from these victimized companies, amounting to over $15 million at the time of payment.
This guilty plea concludes the case without proceeding to trial and underscores ongoing global efforts to hold ransomware perpetrators accountable.
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
