DOJ sentences Nefilim, Hive affiliate to 70 months
He moved from Nefilim to Hive before the sentence; the Nefilim administrator who took 20 percent of his ransoms is still a fugitive.
TL;DR
Artem Stryzhak, 36, was sentenced Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York to 70 months after pleading guilty in December to conspiracy to commit computer fraud. The Ukrainian national worked as a Nefilim affiliate from June 2021, then moved to Hive from October 2021 through January 2023, in attacks that hit hospitals and government entities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. DOJ put losses above $100 million. Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, the Nefilim administrator prosecutors say is his co-conspirator, remains a fugitive with an $11 million reward outstanding.
Artem Stryzhak, 36, was sentenced Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York to 70 months in prison, DOJ's Criminal Division announced, for conspiracy to commit computer fraud tied to two ransomware strains. The sentence follows a December guilty plea. DOJ put losses from the scheme above $100 million. The Record's account lists two counts of conspiracy involving fraud and extortion; DOJ's release frames the conviction as a single conspiracy count.
Stryzhak joined Nefilim in June 2021 on a 20-percent commission and was steered toward targets in the U.S., Canada, and Australia with nine-figure revenue, according to prosecutors. When victims didn't pay, the group threatened to publish stolen files on "Corporate Leaks" sites. Volodymyr Tymoshchuk, an administrator who collected that commission, remains a fugitive; DOJ's reward for information on him stands at $11 million.
By October 2021 Stryzhak had moved to Hive, where he stayed until January 2023 and hit hospitals during the pandemic, including one that couldn't accept new patients. Hive encrypted roughly 1,500 victims across 80 countries before the FBI disrupted its infrastructure. The 70-month term doesn't close the case: DOJ says Tymoshchuk also administered the LockerGoga and MegaCortex strains, and a separate $15 million reward covers other Hive members.
Published ·Deep Fathom