Uncle Sam indicts alleged ransomware kingpin tied to $18B in damages

A Ukrainian national faces serious federal charges and an $11 million bounty after allegedly orchestrating ransomware operations that caused an estimated $18 billion in damages across hundreds of organizations worldwide.

Authorities have accused Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, 28, of masterminding three major ransomware operations — LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Nefilim —that terrorized corporations between December 2018 and October 2021.

Prosecutors said Tymoshchuk was responsible for attacks on more than 250 companies in the US alone, in addition to hundreds more globally.

Among these was the infamous attack on Norsk Hydro in 2019, which garnered international attention for its impact, and the company's transparent response.

Tens of thousands of PCs were locked down at its 170 sites, located across 40 countries, causing a reported $81 million worth of damage in downtime and cleanup costs. The majority of its 35,000 staff were affected, and all of its business operations were disrupted.

"Tymoshchuk is a ...