Belarusian cybercriminal behind Ransom Cartel gets 16-year prison sentence

A Belarusian cybercriminal, Maksim Silnikau (aliases: "J.P.Morgan", "targa", "xxx", "lansky"), was identified as the creator and leader of the Ransom Cartel ransomware-as-a-service and sentenced to 16 years after being arrested and extradited to the U.S.; prosecutors allege the group carried out at least 18 attacks from 2021–2023, stealing sensitive data and demanding ransom, and that Silnikau previously developed the widely used Angler exploit kit and the Reveton ransomware business model.