US Treasury OFAC Sanctions Russian Firms Associated With Cybercrimes

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Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a US Department of the Treasury, recently targeted a Russian firm, Aeza Group, along with three associated entities, for its involvement in ransomware, infostealers, and dark markets related to crypto. OFAC sanctioned the four entities for their bulletproof hosting (BPH) on Tuesday. 

US Sanctioned Russian Aeza Group

The Russian BPH provider, Aeza Group, was sanctioned by the US agency for facilitating cyber criminal activities that targeted victims worldwide, including in the US. 

“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 Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. 

Other Entities Involved in Crypto Crimes Sanctioned by OFAC

OFAC also sanctioned three affiliated entities: 

• UK-based Aeza International Ltd and its Russian Subsidiaries
• Aeza Logistics LLC
• Cloud Solutions LLC

As noted by the Treasury, these accused infostealers often used to harvest personal identity information, passwords, and other sensitive credentials from compromised victims. Before selling them on darknet markets for profit, marking a widespread cybercrime. 

Additionally, OFAC also listed four key individuals connected to Aeza:

• Arsenii Aleksandrovich Penzev- CEO and 33% shareholder of Aeza Group

• Yurii Meruzhanovich Bozoyan- General director and 33% owner of Aeza Group

• Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Gast- Technical director of Aeza Group

• Igor Anatolyevich Knyazev- 33% owner of Aeza Group. 

OFAC’s Action Against the Crimes

The TRM Labs reported that OFAC designated a  TRON crypto address (TU4tDFRvcKhAZ1jdihojmBWZqvJhQCnJ4F) tied to Aeza Group payments and their illicit activities, which has received over $350,000 in funds. The Treasury reported that it continued to work on combating cybercrimes and targeting malicious actors in undermining the United States’ security systems. 

Additional Crime Connections of Aeza

• OFAC also accused Aeza of providing infrastructure services to BlackSprut, a centralized darknet market with more than $900 million in incoming funds. 

• These dark markets have been linked to fentanyl trafficking through the sale of fentanyl precursor chemicals.  

• Aeza Group also hosted infrastructure for ransomware groups such as BianLian (which received more than $2 million in ransoms) and infostealer operations, including Meduza and Luma. 

With emerging cybercrimes, crypto hacks, and asset thefts, it is crucial for crypto investors to thoroughly follow the universal guidelines and not get thrilled by “too good to be true” offers. As the federal agencies are actively working to secure the crypto platforms, it is also necessary for the users to double-check the guidelines.

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