Leasing servers to cybercriminals: US, UK and Australia sanctions Russian companies and their executives

The US, the UK, and Australia have announced sanctions against Russian companies that allegedly provide “bulletproof hosting” (BPH) services used by ransomware gangs and other cybercriminals. BPH providers lease servers to criminal operations, helping them resist efforts to disrupt their malicious activities, such as phishing, malware delivery, and command-and-control. These providers market themselves as “bulletproof” because they disregard victim complaints and law enforcement takedown requests. These sanctions also apply to three Media Land executives: Aleksandr Volosovik (who has promoted the business on cybercriminal forums under the name “Yalishanda”), Kirill Zatolokin (who handles customer payments), and Yulia Pankova (who supported the company with legal matters and finances).