UK Sanctions 16 Alleged Members of Evil Corp Cybercrime Gang

The UK has imposed sanctions on 16 individuals allegedly linked to Evil Corp, a notorious international cybercrime organization. Originally formed as a Moscow-based family financial crime group, Evil Corp is reported to have ties to both the Lockbit ransomware group, which offers ransomware as a service, and the Russian state.

Evil Corp stands accused of stealing approximately $300 million over a nearly ten-year period through cyberattacks. The group has targeted healthcare systems, critical national infrastructure, government bodies, and other organizations worldwide.

According to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the alleged leader of the gang, Maksim Yakubets, has received substantial support from his father, Viktor Yakubets. Maksim Yakubets was previously indicted and sanctioned by the U.S. in 2019, which also placed a $5 million bounty for information leading to his capture.

In its latest statement, the NCA disclosed that Russian intelligence services have tasked Evil Corp with executing cyber-attacks and conducting espionage operations against NATO allies, although further specifics were not provided.

“Yakubets, Turashev, and seven of those sanctioned by the US in 2019 have also been designated in the UK by the Foreign,” the NCA stated. These sanctions also cover several other individuals, “whose links and support for the group have not previously been exposed.”

Among these individuals is Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, described as Yakubets’ “right-hand man” by the NCA. Ryzhenkov is credited with developing some of Evil Corp’s “most prolific ransomware strains.”

The NCA also revealed that Maksim Yakubets’ father, Viktor Yakubets, and his father-in-law, Eduard Benderskiy, were included in the new sanctions, along with others deemed instrumental in enabling Evil Corp’s criminal activities.

James Babbage, Director General for Threats at the NCA, commented on the new measures, stating that they further “expose” the group’s members. “Since we supported US action against Evil Corp in 2019, members have amended their tactics and the harms attributed to the group have reduced significantly,” Babbage said.

“We expect these new designations to also disrupt their ongoing criminal activity,” he added.

The UK’s actions mark the latest international effort to clamp down on the group’s operations and limit their reach within the cybercrime ecosystem.

By fLEXI tEAM