A US court has sentenced Latvian hacker Deniss Zolotarjovs to over eight years in prison for conducting ransomware attacks. According to the Department of Justice, he operated within the Karakurt hacking group, managed by former leaders of Russia's Akira and Conti groups. This group attacked US government institutions, disrupted 911 emergency services, and stole children's private medical data. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .
Prosecutors stated that the Karakurt group used Russian state databases and contacts in law enforcement to intimidate its victims. This case once again confirms the close ties between cybercriminals and the Russian state. Security researchers have long accused Russia of shielding hackers from Western law enforcement and refusing to extradite them.
According to a US Department of Justice report, the Karakurt group fueled corruption within the Russian government. Group leaders avoided taxes by bribing state officials and secured exemptions for their members from mandatory military service in the Russian army. The group attacked at least 54 companies and extorted over $15 million from victims.
Deniss Zolotarjovs was arrested in Georgia in 2023 and extradited to the US in August 2024. He pleaded guilty. Currently, the Karakurt group is considered inactive, as cybercriminals frequently change their names and owners to evade sanctions.
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