US, UK, And Australia Sanctions Zservers Russia Against Ransomware Lockbit Attack

LockBit ransomware illustration (photo; x @newsfourfact ·)

JAKARTA The United States together with Britain and Australia have imposed sanctions on Russia-based Zservers service providers for its role in supporting the Lockbit ransomware attack. The US Treasury Department stated that this step was taken for national security reasons.

The US Treasury Department's Foreign Asset Control Office (OFAC) also blacklisted two Russian nationals. Both are referred to as Zservers' main administrators, a "bulletproof" hosting service that is often used for illegal cyber activity.

"The perpetrators of ransomware and other cybercriminals depend on third-party network service providers such as Zservers to launch their attacks on critical infrastructure in the US and other countries," said Bradley Smith, Interim Official of the Deputy Minister of Finance for Terrorism and Finance Intelligence.

The sanction against Zservers is a continuation of a similar move taken by the US, UK and Australia last year when they targeted the Evil Corp ransomware group.

Lockbit has been known as one of the most active ransomware groups in recent years, with various attacks on companies, government agencies, and critical infrastructure in various countries. By imposing sanctions on service providers that support this kind of cyber activity, the US government and its allies hope to narrow the space for movement of hacker groups operating from Russia.