Russian Access Broker Gets Nearly 7 Yrs for Enabling Millions in Ransomware Extortion

Aleksei Volkov, a Russian national, was arrested, extradited to the U.S., pleaded guilty, and sentenced to 81 months in prison for acting as an initial access broker who sold stolen network credentials to ransomware groups (including Yanluowang), enabling dozens of attacks that caused over $9 million in actual losses and over $24 million in intended losses; the report emphasizes how access brokers serve as a criminal supply chain that scales ransomware operations.