FBI
Director
Christopher
Wray
testifies
before
a
House
Judiciary
Committee
hearing
on
“oversight
of
the
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation”
and
alleged
politicization
of
law
enforcement,
on
Capitol
Hill
in
Washington,
U.S.,
July
12,
2023.
Jonathan
Ernst
|
Reuters
The
mastermind
behind
a
ransomware
hosting
service
that
allegedly
helped
criminals
collect
more
than
5,000
bitcoin
in
ransom
from
hundreds
of
victims
was
indicted
in
federal
court
this
week,
prosecutors
announced
Thursday.
At
current
prices,
that
bitcoin
would
be
worth
more
than
$146
million.
Artur
Grabowski’s
LolekHosted
service
operated
for
about
a
decade
and
advertised
itself
as
a
haven
for
“everything
but
child
porn,”
according
to
Florida
prosecutors.
Clients
allegedly
used
the
hosting
service
to
deploy
ransomware
viruses
that
infected
around
400
networks
around
the
world.
Ransomware
attacks
typically
lock
and
encrypt
the
data
on
an
organization’s
computers
so
they’re
unusable
until
the
victim
pays
a
fee.
Grabowski
and
his
co-conspirators
allegedly
refused
to
cooperate
with
law
enforcement
requests,
protected
allegedly
criminal
actors
from
takedowns,
and
profited
immensely
from
the
service.
Grabowski
was
charged
with
computer
fraud,
wire
fraud,
and
conspiracy
to
commit
international
money
laundering.
Grabowski
himself
is
also
the
subject
of
a
$21.5
million
seizure
order.
The
indictment
against
the
Grabowski
was
unsealed
in
Florida
court
Wednesday.
Grabowski
remains
at
large.
Three
other
unindicted
and
unnamed
co-conspirators
were
also
involved
in
the
alleged
scheme,
prosecutors
said
in
the
charging
document.
His
“100%
privacy
hosting”
service
was
seized
Tuesday
by
the
IRS’
Criminal
Investigation
unit
and
the
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation.
Grabowski,
a
Polish
national,
faces
a
maximum
sentence
of
45
years,
if
he
is
ever
detained
and
convicted.
Federal
prosecutors
have
stepped
up
their
efforts
to
curtail
ransomware
attacks.
Earlier
this
year,
the
Justice
Department
launched
a
dedicated
unit
focused
on
combating
cyber
national
security
threats.
A
string
of
ransomware
prosecutions
have
also
been
unsealed
in
U.S.
courts,
although
with
perpetrators
scattered
around
the
world,
it’s
unclear
how
many
will
face
time
behind
bars.
watch
now
