The Justice Department is committed to leveraging the full range of our international partnerships to combat the threats posed by ransomware like Phobos, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Evgenii Ptitsyn allegedly extorted millions of dollars of ransom payments from thousands of victims and now faces justice in the United States thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of law enforcement agencies around the world - from the Republic of Korea to Japan to Europe and finally to Baltimore, Maryland.
The Phobos ransomware has extorted over $16 million from more than 1,000 victims worldwide, including schools, hospitals, government agencies and large corporations, DOJ said. The department chalked up the arrest to international team-ups.
Along with his co-conspirators, Ptitsyn - who was known by the online handles 'derxan' and 'zimmermanx' at times - developed Phobos and offered access to the ransomware to other criminals in exchange for fees from successful ransomware attacks.
The ransomware is both 'pretty standard' and noted for its small ransom demands, according to cybersecurity officials. These features have allowed Phobos to draw attention and become a significant threat over the last four years.
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