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Australia has imposed sanctions on three senior members of the Evil Corp cyber crime organisation.
Joining the UK and the US, Australia announced today (2 October) that it would be placing financial sanctions and travel bans on Maksim Viktorovich Yakubets, Igor Olegovich Turashev, and Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov.
“Evil Corp is one of the most prolific and longest-running cyber crime groups in the world,” said a joint media release by Defence, Home Affairs and Cyber Security, and Foreign Affairs
“For more than a decade, Evil Corp has been responsible for significant cyber incidents, including ransomware attacks across Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, resulting in millions of dollars of losses and disruptions to critical health systems, national infrastructure and government sectors.”
Yakubets, the group’s founder and leader, and Turashev had been previously indicted by the US for their roles in the Evil Corp cyber crime gang, while Ryzhenkov was indicted overnight following his ousting as an affiliate of the LockBit ransomware gang.
The sanctions “make it a criminal offence to provide assets” to the three Evil Corp members or to use data or assets they have obtained. It also sets a travel ban on the trio, restricting them from entering the country.
“We have been very clear – under our government, Australia is hardening its defences and ensuring there are consequences for people who target our citizens and businesses,” said Minister for Cyber Security Tony Burke.
“These sanctions are another example of our commitment to working with our international partners to shut down the criminal organisations that have built a business model on ransomware.”
Australia’s sanctions were imposed as “part of a coordinated effort” with the nation’s AUKUS allies as a joint effort against cyber crime. This is the time Australia has used the autonomous cyber sanctions framework.
“The Albanese government is the first Australian government to use autonomous cyber sanctions powers to protect Australians and to deter cyber crime,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong.
“We are using all elements of our national power to make Australia more secure and to keep Australians safe.
“Australia remains committed to promoting a rules-based cyber space, grounded in international law and the norms of responsible state behaviour in cyber space.”
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has told Cyber Daily that it is in full support of the sanctions placed on the Evil Corp members and that it will continue assisting investigations into the group.
“The AFP acknowledges the decision by Australian, US and UK governments to impose sanctions on Maksim Yakubets, Igor Turashev and Aleksandr Ryzhenkov for their roles in serious cyber attacks,” said the AFP.
“The Russian citizens have been publicly named as being part of criminal ransomware group Evil Corp.
“The AFP continues to support the global investigative efforts into Evil Corp.”
The AFP also joined the UK’s National Crime Agency and the FBI to publish findings on Evil Corp, outlining its origins, key members, connections to the Russian state and more.
The government has said that malicious cyber activity continues to plague critical sectors and affect the Australian community and that sanctions like the ones on Evil Corp are critical for disrupting bad actors and protecting Australians against them.
“Malicious cyber actors continue to target governments, critical infrastructure and households around the world. These types of sanctions are an important tool in deterring cyber crime and helping to protect Australians,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
“These sanctions are only possible because of the efforts of our domestic and international partner agencies who work tirelessly to disrupt cyber criminals and protect Australians from ransomware.
“We encourage all Australian individuals and businesses to be vigilant about their cyber security arrangements to help make Australia a harder target against malicious cyber activity.”
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