Ransom-War, Part 2a: Extortion Entrepreneurs and Their Patriotic Obligations

Russian ransomware actors and other cybercriminals are business people first, but they have to do their duty to the motherland

Russian cybercriminals like to talk: in personal communications, postings on underground discussion forums or social media pages, in the websites where they name and shame victims, in ransomware negotiations, and in media interviews. Analyzing their publicly available statements, we see they often portray themselves as warriors for the Russian state against its enemies. In line with the messaging of Russian media and officials, cybercriminals often focus their ire on the “collective West,” especially Americans and other “Anglo-Saxons.” Particularly after someone in the US has unmasked or indicted Russian cybercriminals or taken down their operations, they call for retribution against the United States. They take a keen interest in US politics and sometimes appear to take sides in US partisan conflicts. They are willing to work for the Russian government and sometimes make business decisions that align with Russian strategic interests. The early weeks of Russia’s war on Ukraine saw Rus…