A Polish man who allegedly provided ‘bulletproof’ hosting services to cybercriminals could face a maximum prison sentence of 45 years in the United States. According to US authorities, the suspect was behind LolekHosted, a hosting company that was taken down last week by the FBI, Europol, and Polish authorities.
Europol described LolekHosted as a “bulletproof hoster” that ignored the misuse of its services by cybercriminals. The charges against the alleged owner also state that he informed customers about law enforcement information requests. The US prosecutor claims that the criminals behind the NetWalker ransomware used the hosting service.
The ransomware was employed to infect the networks of around four hundred companies and organizations, including hospitals and educational institutions. Victims reportedly paid over five thousand bitcoins in ransom, which currently have a value of 146 million dollars. Customers of LolekHosted used the services to carry out around fifty attacks using the NetWalker ransomware, according to the charges. It is also alleged that the hosting company stored ‘hacking tools’ and stolen data from victims.
The Polish suspect has been charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and facilitating ransomware attacks. If found guilty on all charges, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 45 years. Additionally, the US prosecutor seeks the forfeiture of 21.5 million dollars earned through the criminal activities. The suspect is currently at large. During the operation against the hosting service, five alleged system administrators were arrested.
About the author: Wesley C Waldo
Wesley C Waldo, a promising writer who is preparing to publish his first novel in 2023. Travels a lot and collects the clues for a new book. He writes on social topics, sometimes describes an event or two.
