Russia Indicts Alleged Ransomware Hacker Wanted by the FBI

Suspected LockBit, Babuk Operator Mikhail Matveev Arrested in Russia Akshaya Asokan (asokan_akshaya) • December 2, 2024

A suspected, prolific ransomware affiliate hacker and developer has been arrested on criminal charges in Russia, reported Kremlin media.

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Russian prosecutors announced the indictment of a 32-year-old resident of the Russian-controlled Baltic port city of Kalingrad for allegedly creating malicious computer code. State-owned Ria Novosti identified the accused hacker as Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, also known as Wazawaka.

Matveev has been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2023 for his role in hacking activities as part of ransomware groups including LockBit and Hive. He allegedly was a senior leader of the Babuk ransomware operation. Federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia say he played a key role in hacking the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department in ...