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Ransomware Developer who Targeted Healthcare Extradited to U.S.
A dual Russian and Israeli national was extradited to the United States on charges that he was a developer of the LockBit ransomware group, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.In August, Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel, and late last week had an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge. A trial is still pending.Court documents say Panev acted as a developer of the LockBit ransomware group from its inception in or around 2019 through at least February 2024. During that time, Panev and his LockBit co-conspirators allegedly grew LockBit into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world.As of October, 389 healthcare institutions in the U.S. were attacked with ransomware in 2024, which caused network shutdowns, offline systems, rescheduled appointments and delays in critical procedures, a Microsoft report found.
Medigy Insights
According to a recent U.S. government interagency report cited by Microsoft, ransomware attacks have surged by 300% since 2015, largely because ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has lowered the barrier for entry for hackers who lack technical expertise, with other ransomware groups finding safe harbor in Russia.Out of the 99 healthcare organizations that admitted to paying the ransom and disclosed the ransom paid, the median payment was $1.5 million, and the average payment was $4.4 million, according to the HIPAA Journal.
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