Ryuk ransomware member sentenced to 24 months in prison
Ryuk ransomware member receives 24-month prison sentence for attacks causing over $15 million in ransom payments.
Karen Serobovich Vardanyan, a 35-year-old Armenian man, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in Ryuk ransomware attacks against U.S. companies between 2019 and 2020. Vardanyan, who specialized in initial access, pleaded guilty after being extradited from Ukraine. The Ryuk operation, attributed to the Wizard Spider cybercrime gang, was responsible for over $15 million in ransom payments before the group transitioned to the Conti ransomware-as-a-service platform.
- Ryuk ransomware member Karen Vardanyan sentenced to 24 months in prison for attacks on U.S. companies.
- Vardanyan specialized in gaining initial access and was part of an operation that received over $15 million in ransoms.
- The Ryuk group, linked to Wizard Spider, was active from 2018 to 2020 before transitioning to Conti ransomware.
- Sentencing follows Vardanyan's extradition from Ukraine after his arrest in April 2025.
- Threat actors
- Wizard Spider
- Organizations
- U.S. Department of Justice
From the original article
2 min read at bleepingcomputer.com
An Armenian man was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for hacking U. S. companies and encrypting their systems in Ryuk ransomware attacks.
By Sergiu Gatlan · bleepingcomputer.com
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