The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed sanctions on Tuesday on a crypto wallet address connected to the Aeza Group, a Russian bulletproof hosting services provider.
Bulletproof hosting is a type of internet hosting service that operates servers designed to bypass scrutiny from law enforcement, legal authorities and cybersecurity organizations, often linked to illegal or malicious activities.
“Cybercriminals continue to rely heavily on BPH service providers like Aeza Group to facilitate disruptive ransomware attacks, steal U.S. technology, and sell black-market drugs,” said Bradley Smith, acting under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
According to the Treasury Department, Aeza provided services to ransomware and malware groups Meduza and Lumma, which targeted sensitive information from the U.S. defense industrial base and technology companies.
Aeza also hosted Russian darknet illegal drug marketplace BlackSprut, which is linked to the trafficking of fentanyl into the U.S.
The OFAC added four key members of Aeza to its Specially Designated Nationals list, and four entities linked to its operations. This included Aeza’s main digital currency address on the Tron blockchain.
According to Chainalysis, the sanctioned crypto address received over $350,000 in crypto, which was cashed out via multiple exchanges.
“By sanctioning bulletproof hosting providers, the U.S. government is attacking the supply chain that makes large-scale cybercrime possible, rather than just pursuing individual threat actors after attacks have occurred,” Chainalysis explained.
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