A recent report notes that Yevgeniy Polyanin, a well-known hacker identified as one of the main operators of the REvil ransomware, is hiding in Siberia without any local police corporation making a real effort to capture him. According to the Daily Mail report, the defendant resides in a luxurious house in Barnaul, Siberia, where he also guards his expensive cars.
The suspect, wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), seems to live without major worries in this place, since his wife even runs a confectionery business advertised through social networks. The couple enjoys a lavish lifestyle while millions of REvil victims suffer the consequences of cyberattacks.
This month, Polyanin was formally charged by the FBI with participating in the deployment of multiple high-profile ransomware attacks and money laundering operations. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), over the past year some $6 million USD illegally obtained by hackers has been seized, in addition to rewards of up to $5 million USD being offered for information leading to the arrest of the operators.
The defendant and his wife have spent the past few days trying not to be caught by reporters and limiting their communications outside their home. Although Polyanin has always refused to provide public statements, on multiple occasions his representatives have assured that the FBI’s accusations are false and he only tries to defend his privacy.
The Agency’s accusations are not a problem known only to Polyanin and his entourage, as even his neighbors in the exclusive area where he resides are aware that the individual next door is a programmer wanted by the U.S. government, although they prefer not to discuss the issue with anyone, especially reporters.
Ransomware attacks are a problem that the U.S. government has decided to address in all seriousness, setting up working groups with authorities in other countries and even enlisting the help of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they hope will crack down on hacker groups operating from this country with apparent impunity.
However, specialists in the field believe that the possibility of the Russian government cooperating to counter these activities are minimal, in addition to mentioning that the requests of the Biden administration have not had the expected effect. In addition, cybersecurity specialists in the West point out that more than an indifferent stance, the Russian government has shown its full support for the operations of some hacking groups.
To learn more about information security risks, malware variants, vulnerabilities and information technologies, feel free to access the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) websites.
He is a cyber security and malware researcher. He studied Computer Science and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2006. He is actively working as an cyber security investigator. He also worked for different security companies. His everyday job includes researching about new cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in enterprise security implementation.