Town hall paralyzed

Police expose “Korneuburg” hackers

The Russian cyber criminals from "Lockbit." are behind the hacker attack on Korneuburg.(Bild: ryanking999 – stock.adobe.com)

Thousands of attacks are said to be the work of the Russian cyber criminals from "Lockbit" (see video above).

The "Krone" reported in detail: At the beginning of February, Korneuburg (Lower Austria) was practically paralyzed by a massive cyber attack. The municipality on the outskirts of Vienna was just one of countless targets in the western world. At this point, a network of international police authorities had already tracked down the criminals. The trail clearly led to Moscow.

Hackers(Bild: ryanking999 – stock.adobe.com)

And indeed: a few weeks later, the Kremlin-friendly hacker group "Lockbit" was held responsible for the attacks. The internet blackmailers use malware to encrypt their victims' data and only release it again after a ransom has been paid.

The authorities have now succeeded in striking another blow against "Lockbit": The head of the gang has been unmasked! The man is said to be a Russian named Dmitry Khoroshev from the city of Voronezh, 500 kilometers south of Moscow.

Dmitry Khoroshev is said to be behind thousands of hacker attacks - ten million dollars bounty on his head!(Bild: National Crime Agency UK)

The town hall in Korneuburg (Lower Austria) was the target of an attack.(Bild: P. Huber)

"The identification of Khoroshev and his fellow criminals illustrates once again what dangerous attacks are being carried out on our society from Russia," explains "Krone" cybercrime expert Cornelius Granig, "but unfortunately it's like a hydra that has one head cut off while others grow back. That's why we have to be vigilant."

Facing 150 years in prison in the USA
After his exposure, it will be difficult for the hacker-in-chief, as he can only feel safe in rogue states such as Russia. The US authorities have offered a bounty of ten million (!) dollars, and he faces 150 years in prison there!