The Federal Security Service of Russia stopped the activities of the hacker group REvil, which was engaged in the theft of money using malware.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs throughout Russia. According to the FSB, hackers developed malicious software, organized the theft of money from foreign bank accounts, and cashed them, including by purchasing expensive goods on the Internet.
"The appeal of the competent US authorities served as the basis for the search activities that reported the leader of the criminal community and his involvement in encroachments on the information resources of foreign high-tech companies," the FSB said.
The FSB of Russia has established the full composition of the REvil criminal community and the involvement of its members in the illegal turnover of payment funds, documentation of illegal activities has been carried out.
REvil has ceased to exist. According to the FSB, at 25 addresses of the places of residence of 14 members of the organized criminal community, over 426 million rubles ($5.5 million) were seized, including in cryptocurrency, $600 thousand, €500 thousand, as well as computer equipment, crypto wallets used to commit crimes, 20 premium cars purchased with funds obtained by criminal means.
"As a result of the joint actions of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the organized criminal community has ceased to exist, the information infrastructure used for criminal purposes has been neutralized. Representatives of the competent US authorities have been informed about the results of the operation," the FSB reported.
The REvil group is considered one of the most active hacker groups in the world. It has committed several major attacks, including against Apple and the Texas government.
It is worth noting that in the summer of 2021, according to The New York Times, after a conversation about REvil, which took place between US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a summit in Switzerland, hackers disappeared from the darknet. Then the American president called on the Russian Federation to take measures to suppress the activities of cyber criminals operating on its territory.
