A Russian man received a prison sentence of almost 7 years after admitting guilt for his role as an entry point provider for the Yanluowang ransomware group.

Aleksey Olegovich Volkov, 26 (known online as “chubaka.kor” and “nets”), confessed in his November plea to targeting at least eight U.S. companies between July 2021 and November 2022.

Volkov admitted to infiltrating corporate systems and then selling that access to the Yanluowang ransomware service, whose associates would encrypt victim’s files and demand payments ranging from $300,000 to $15 million.

He was sent to the U.S. after being apprehended in Italy in January 2024. U.S. authorities charged him after the Yanluowang group leaked unimportant files taken from a Cisco employee’s Box account, but failed to encrypt any systems or get a ransom paid.

“Volkov admitted as part of his plea that he and others illegally accessed various victims’ computer systems, stole their data, installed ransomware, requested cryptocurrency payments to restore data access, and shared the ransom funds,” the Justice Department stated on Monday. 

Court records show that the FBI found communication logs, stolen data, victim’s login details, and proof that Yanluowang email addresses were used to negotiate ransoms after seizing a server related to the ransomware group.

They also determined Volkov’s identity using Apple iCloud data, cryptocurrency exchange information, and social media accounts (including a Twitter account) linked to his Russian passport and contact number.

The obtained chats revealed Volkov arranging deals with a partner to give them a part of the ransom money in return for providing access to some of Yanluowang’s victims’ networks. The FBI reported that Volkov received $1.5 million from his share of the ransoms taken.

An FBI agent’s sworn statement indicates that investigators found a screenshot of a conversation with a user named LockBit within Volkov’s Apple account, indicating a possible connection to the notorious LockBit ransomware operation.

Volkov was sentenced to 81 months of imprisonment after initially facing a possible 53-year sentence and must pay over $9 million as compensation to the victims of the Yanluowang ransomware attacks.

“Volkov agreed to give compensation to victims, which includes at least $9,167,198.19 to known victims for their losses and to give up the equipment used to commit his crimes,” the Justice Department added.