Aeza Group, a Russian hosting provider, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury for offering support to cybercriminals involved in ransomware and data theft operations.
Aeza Group is known for offering hosting services that are hard to take down, often used by groups behind harmful software and illegal activity.
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Aeza Group gave support to groups behind ransomware like BianLian, as well as malware, including RedLine and Lumma. Aeza Group also allegedly supported the BlackSprut marketplace, a dark web site used for illegal trading.
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Authorities in Russia arrested two leaders of the Aeza Group, Arsenii Aleksandrovich Penzev and Yurii Meruzhanovich Bozoyan, due to their reported ties to BlackSprut.
Another Aeza Group executive, Igor Anatolyevich Knyazev, is reportedly running the company. He and Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Gast, the company’s technical head, are also under US sanctions.
A Tron-based crypto wallet used by Aeza Group to manage payments was also blacklisted.
According to a June 1 report by Chainalysis, the wallet collected payments from customers and then moved those funds to crypto exchanges. The wallet was linked to Aeza Group’s payment system and sometimes received direct payments for the company’s services.
The OFAC stated that the goal of these sanctions is to block the tools that make large-scale online attacks possible.
Recently, five people tied to a cryptocurrency fraud scheme that stole close to $540 million from over 5,000 people were arrested in Spain. How did the case unfold? Read the full story.
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