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A Ukrainian national has pleaded guilty to multiple crimes due to his involvement in a string of ransomware attacks targeting firms in the United States and Europe. Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, a 35-year-old Ukrainian national, was accused of targeting these organizations from 2018 to late 2021. According to reports, the Ukrainian could face up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud, including extortion. The Ukrainian was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and was subsequently extradited to the United States in April. Authorities are still on the lookout for his co-conspirator, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, who now has a bounty of $11 million for any information leading to his arrest. Ukrainian pleads guilty over ransomware crimes Joseph Nocella, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement that the defendant used Nefilim ransomware to target high-revenue companies in the United States. He would often steal data and encrypt it, only agreeing to release the data after his demands, which are often financial, have been met. “We remain determined to capture Stryzhak’s codefendant and partner in crime, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, and bring him to justice in a U.S. courtroom,” Nocella added. The Ukrainian is now being accused of acting as the administrator of the Nefilim ransomware group and is described as a serial cybercriminal associated with multiple ransomware organizations. Officials claimed that attacks carried out by Nefilim ransomware have led to the loss of millions of damages through extortion payments and damage to victim networks. Styzhak and his co-conspirators allegedly customized ransomware files for each victim, creating unique decryption keys and ransom notes. The ransomware group primarily targeted companies located in the United States, Australia, and Canada, netting more than $100 million in annual revenue. They extorted their victims by threatening to publish stolen data. Authorities…

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Filed under: News - @ December 20, 2025 12:21 pm