US, UK, and Australia impose sanctions on Russian bulletproof hosting company
The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have imposed sanctions against a Russian bulletproof hosting service provider, three of its subsidiaries, and two of its staff members.
According to law enforcement authorities, the business has provided its infrastructure to malicious threat actors and cybercriminals, enabling them to conduct cyberattacks worldwide.
The authorities claim that the hosting service provider was aware that the hacking groups were up to no good. According to reports, the hosting company allegedly provided its services to criminals to facilitate the establishment of illegal marketplaces.
In addition, the hosting service provider shielded its customers from law enforcement authorities from detection and takedown. That way, threat actors were able to distribute and run ransomware operations, including groups like LockBit, Evil Corp., and BlackBasta.
According to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Media Land LLC and ML. Cloud LLC are parts of a notorious Russian-based bulletproof hosting service, which is operated by a man called Aleksandr Volosovik. For over a decade, he has facilitated a wide range of online crimes, thereby becoming a “critical enabler of global cybercrime.”
Two of Volosovik’s employees have also been sanctioned by the authorities.
As part of the sanctions, the assets of the hosting service provider and its management in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have been frozen. Individuals and companies from these countries are prohibited from doing business with the hosting company and the sanctioned individuals.
“The Australian Government is taking strong steps to strike back against malicious cyber activity. These actions are about defending our national security and ensuring Australians can live and work safely in a digital world,” Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.
“These so-called bulletproof hosting service providers, like Media Land, provide cybercriminals essential services to aid them in attacking businesses in the United States and in allied countries. Today’s trilateral action with Australia and the United Kingdom, in coordination with law enforcement partners, demonstrates our collective commitment to combating cybercrime and protecting our citizens,” John K. Hurley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated in a press release.
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