Ryuk Ransomware Operator Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison
Summary
Karen Serobovich Vardanyan was sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release for helping carry out Ryuk ransomware attacks against U.S. organizations from 2019 to 2020.
Key points
- Vardanyan pleaded guilty after being extradited from Kyiv, Ukraine.
- According to court documents, he helped breach multiple U.S. organizations between March 2019 and approximately June 2020.
- Victims included a Michigan company, a Texas school, and an Oregon technology company.
- The Michigan company paid 200 BTC, valued at over $1.1 million at the time, according to the article.
- Prosecutors said the co-conspirators received approximately 1,610 bitcoins in ransom payments, then valued at over $15 million.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Sentencing of a Ryuk ransomware affiliate for helping conduct ransomware attacks against U.S. organizations.
- Impact
- Karen Serobovich Vardanyan was sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty. The attacks compromised victim networks and deployed ransomware on hundreds of servers and workstations. Prosecutors said the co-conspirators received approximately 1,610 bitcoins, valued at over $15 million at the time; one Michigan victim paid 200 BTC, then worth over $1.1 million.
People
Threat Actors
Malware
Industries
HealthcareRyuk was a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation active between August 2018 and mid-2020 that became notorious after launching a massive wave of attacks targeting the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.TechnologyHe and his co-conspirators breached victims including a Michigan company, a Texas school, and a technology company in Oregon, generating millions in ransom payments.