March 15 Cyber News

LockBit Ransomware Hacker Ordered to Pay $860,000 After Guilty Plea in Canada

Vasiliev, according to CTV News, pleaded guilty to eight counts of cyber extortion, mischief, and weapons charges last month. During the sentencing, he was characterized by Justice Michelle Fuerst as a "cyber terrorist" who was "motivated by his own greed."

He is believed to have become a cyber criminal while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, attempting to seek ransom payments from three Canadian companies between 2021 and 2022 by stealing their data and holding it hostage.

Vasiliev, who has consented to being extradited to the U.S., has also been ordered to pay back more than $860,000 in restitution.

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UnitedHealth cyberattack "one of the most stressful things we've gone through," doctor says

The ransomware attack last month on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has turned into a national crisis. For doctors like Christine Meyer of Exton, Pennsylvania, it has become a personal nightmare.

"It's been one of the most stressful things we've gone through as a practice, and that's saying something given that we survived COVID," Meyer told CBS News. ?"…To find ourselves suddenly, you know, looking at our home and its value, and can we afford to put it up to pay our employees, is a terrible feeling."

The Feb. 21 hack targeting Change Healthcare forced the nation's largest medical payment system offline. More than three weeks later, it is still leaving hospitals, pharmacies and medical practices in a cash crunch.

"We cannot submit a single insurance claim, and we can't get any patient payments," Meyer said. "This is a problem."

On an average weekday prior to the cyberattack, Meyer said her practice would get anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 in deposits.

Ransomware attack hamstrings three District Attorneys’ offices in NM

First Judicial District Attorney spokesperson Nathan Lederman said on Thursday morning the prosecutors in Santa Fe were “experiencing issues with our case management system, as well as other internal systems.”

“This has resulted in an inability for our staff to work as they are normally accustomed,” Lederman said. “This is a widespread, ongoing issue which has affected multiple judicial districts.”

The FBI is investigating the attack, Montoya said. On Thursday afternoon, the FBI was still working to determine who was responsible, said Damion Bradford, AODA’s chief technology officer.

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