The U.S. Justice Department has charged a Russian national with facilitating ransomware attacks on hospitals and other organizations.
Evgenii Ptitsyn, 42, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after being extradited from South Korea. He faces 13 criminal counts and decades in prison.
"Ptitsyn and his co-conspirators hacked not only large corporations but also schools, hospitals, nonprofits and a federally recognized tribe, and they extorted more than $16 million in ransom payments," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri said in a Nov. 18 press release.
Mr. Ptitsyn is accused of selling, distributing and operating Phobos ransomware, which was used in recent years to target healthcare.