LockBit Developer Rostislav Panev, a Dual Russian-Israeli Citizen, Arrested

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of Rostislav Panev, a dual Russian-Israeli national alleged to be a key developer for the LockBit ransomware group; authorities seized LockBit source code, administrator credentials and control panel access, and Panev admitted to developing tools to disable antivirus, deploy malware, and print ransom notes—LockBit has impacted thousands of victims worldwide (including 1,800+ in the U.S.) and collected at least $500 million in ransom payments, while international law enforcement actions have recently disrupted the group's operations.