Nine-fingered Russian hacker accused of Royal Mail attack wins $10 million bounty

Mikhail Matveev claims he cut off his finger after losing a bet. Photo: https://securityboulevard.com/2022/02/wazawaka-goes-waka-waka/

Russian master hacker who claims to have cut off his finger after losing a bet has been slapped in the face by US authorities in the amount of 10 million dollars (£8 million).

Mikhail Matveyev, 30, from Kaliningrad, was accused on Tuesday of being a leading member of the Hive, LockBit and Babuk ransomware gangs.

LockBit is a Russian cybercriminal gang that tried to extort money from Royal Mail. 66 million in February after scrambling vital software at parcel sorters.

Matthew Graves, a Justice Department lawyer, said: “Whether these criminals are targeting law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies such as healthcare providers, we will use all means at our disposal to prosecute and punish such crimes.” /p>

Royal Mail refused to pay criminals who demanded a ransom in cryptocurrencies in exchange for decrypting the company's printers.

A video of Mr. Matveev, posted by cybersecurity researcher Brian Krebs, appears to show a Russian flaunting a hand that is clearly missing a whole number.

Mr. Matveev, who uses the nickname Vazavaka, claimed to have cut off his finger after losing a bet.

Mr Krebs said: “It is not clear if this is the real story of how Wazavaca lost the ring finger on his left hand; his remaining fingers appear strangely curved."

Mr. Matveev is also accused of playing a key role in stealing the home addresses of Washington, D.C. police officers in 2021, as well as that he claimed to have obtained the real identities of hundreds of police whistleblowers.

U.S. officials on Tuesday also accused the former Apple engineer of trying to steal trade secrets from the world's most valuable tech company before fleeing to his native China .

Weibao Wang, 37, was one of five criminal suspects in separate cases. pursued by US law enforcement in a massive indictment and publicity.

Mr. Wang is said to have attempted to steal Apple's «full source code of Autonomy» in 2018, software designed for Apple's future self-driving car.

Allegedly, the software engineer had access to Apple's confidential databases, which only 2% of the company's 135,000 employees could connect to. He is said to have kept the stolen information at his home in California, having fled the country after police ransacked the premises.

The newly formed US Disruptive Technology Strike Force also opened a criminal case against another Chinese man who allegedly trying to sell sensitive graphite technology to Iran for use in ballistic missiles.

The Foreign Office, which oversees UK sanctions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.