{
	"id": "c33972f7-0008-4df7-9d03-64c05881bc4c",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T00:21:30.86531Z",
	"updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:21:43.820846Z",
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	"sha1_hash": "4b0e497b229ed3fea52913eefc5a1f14495febb5",
	"title": "LockBit ransomware affiliate gets four years in jail, to pay $860k",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
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	"plain_text": "LockBit ransomware affiliate gets four years in jail, to pay $860k\r\nBy Bill Toulas\r\nPublished: 2024-03-13 · Archived: 2026-04-05 14:25:16 UTC\r\nRussian-Canadian cybercriminal Mikhail Vasiliev has been sentenced to four years in prison by an Ontario court for his\r\ninvolvement in the LockBit ransomware operation.\r\nVasiliev was arrested in November 2022 and pleaded guilty to eight charges in February 2024, including cyber extortion,\r\nmischief, and weapons offenses.\r\nThe man was a key member of the notorious LockBit ransomware gang, involved in many of the operation's high-profile\r\nattacks.\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/\r\nPage 1 of 4\n\n0:00\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/\r\nPage 2 of 4\n\nVisit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE\r\nSpecifically, Vasiliev is believed to have been involved in a thousand cyberattacks conducted by the ransomware gang,\r\nwhich led to ransom payment demands of over $100 million.\r\nMany of those victims, who had their systems paralyzed by Vasiliev between 2021 and 2022, were businesses based in\r\nSaskatchewan, Montreal, Newfoundland, and other Canadian states.\r\nHis lawyer stated that Vasiliev became a cybercriminal during the pandemic and has now taken responsibility for his actions.\r\nHowever, Justice Michelle Fuerst called him a \"cyber-terrorist,\" highlighting his \"coldly calculated\" greed-driven crimes.\r\nIn addition to the imprisonment, Vasiliev was ordered to pay $860,000 in restitution to his Canadian victims. He also faces\r\nextradition to the United States, where he will face additional charges.\r\nLockBit limping along\r\nLockBit was one of the most active ransomware-as-a-service operations engaging in data theft and encryption, followed by\r\nextortion and data leaks on a dedicated darknet portal.\r\nOver time, LockBit has undergone significant evolution, making various iterations of its locker available to affiliates\r\nand almost releasing its fourth major version when a global law enforcement operation disrupted its activities.\r\nThe disruption was accompanied by several arrests of high-profile LockBit affiliates and core team members, with the U.S.\r\nState Department announcing rewards of up to $15 million for information on Lockbit members and associates.\r\nDespite the coordinated and decisive attempt to disrupt LockBit, the cybercrime gang quickly relaunched the operation\r\non new infrastructure and resumed attacks employing updated encryptors and ransom notes.\r\nHowever, the ransomware gang may not have recovered from the law enforcement operation and their tarnished reputation\r\nas they would like us to think.\r\nAn analysis of the new data leak site by Valéry Marchive indicates that most of the newly posted data are for companies\r\nattacked in 2022 and 2023, indicating that the gang is trying to appear busier than it actually is.\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/\r\nPage 3 of 4\n\nAutomated Pentesting Covers Only 1 of 6 Surfaces.\r\nAutomated pentesting proves the path exists. BAS proves whether your controls stop it. Most teams run one without the\r\nother.\r\nThis whitepaper maps six validation surfaces, shows where coverage ends, and provides practitioners with three diagnostic\r\nquestions for any tool evaluation.\r\nSource: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/\r\nhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/\r\nPage 4 of 4",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"ETDA"
	],
	"references": [
		"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k/"
	],
	"report_names": [
		"lockbit-ransomware-affiliate-gets-four-years-in-jail-to-pay-860k"
	],
	"threat_actors": [],
	"ts_created_at": 1775434890,
	"ts_updated_at": 1775791303,
	"ts_creation_date": 0,
	"ts_modification_date": 0,
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