Russian professional basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was recently arrested in France at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport on June 21st, acting on an international arrest warrant issued by the United States. The arrest is linked to allegations that Kasatkin served as a negotiator for a prominent ransomware gang. Kasatkin, who briefly played NCAA basketball at Penn State before a four-season tenure with MBA-MAI in Russia, is now in custody as the U.S. seeks his extradition to face charges of “conspiracy to commit computer fraud” and “computer fraud conspiracy.”
Kasatkin’s lawyer, Frédéric Bélot, vehemently denies the charges, suggesting that the accusations are connected to a second-hand computer his client purchased. Bélot states that Kasatkin is technologically inept and believes the computer was either hacked or sold to him by a hacker to conceal their own activities. This defense aims to distance Kasatkin from any direct involvement in the alleged cybercrimes.
Although the specific ransomware gang was not explicitly named, the description provided in the reports strongly aligns with the notorious Conti ransomware group. This group was active between 2020 and 2022, reportedly impacting over 900 companies, including two federal agencies. Conti emerged as a successor to the Ryuk ransomware and ceased operations in 2022 after a significant data breach.
While the description of the ransomware gang’s activities closely matches that of Conti, it’s worth noting that previous reports did not explicitly link Conti to breaches of federal agencies, though they were known for targeting state governments. This new detail, if confirmed, would add a significant dimension to the known scope of Conti’s operations.
Kasatkin’s arrest follows other recent law enforcement actions targeting cybercriminals. Notably, last month, French police also apprehended four alleged operators of the BreachForums hacking forum, including individuals known by the aliases IntelBroker and ShinyHunters, indicating ongoing international efforts to combat cybercrime.
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