Treasury sanctions First VPN Service, others for abetting ransomware gangs

**Executive summary:** The U.S. Treasury (OFAC) sanctioned First VPN (1VPNS) and named administrators for allegedly selling anonymity services and 'cryptors' to ransomware operators; the service was widely used by ransomware groups to hide attack origins, deploy malware, and manage stolen data, impacting U.S. municipalities, hospitals, financial firms and other businesses, with related arrests and international law-enforcement actions following a Europol sting.