The operator who ran the Ransom Cartel ransomware service has been handed a 16-year federal prison term, closing a case that began with an arrest in Spain and a dash to the Belarus border.
US prosecutors said Maksim Silnikau, 40, of Belarus, built the ransomware in May 2021 and relaunched it under the Ransom Cartel name in 2022. Rather than break into networks himself, he bought stolen credentials from access brokers, enlisted affiliates to carry out attacks, bargained with victims, and moved the money through cryptocurrency mixers before sharing it out. Between 2021 and 2023 at least 18 companies in states including California, New York, and Nebraska were hit, suffering combined losses above $6.7M while the group pushed for at least $5.2M in ransoms.
Silnikau’s history reaches back to the REvil operation and the Angler exploit kit. Arrested in Spain in July 2023, he slipped away while awaiting extradition and was caught again at the Polish border with Belarus. Extradited in 2024, he was convicted in Virginia on three of seven counts: conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
For hospital security teams the sentence lands as ransomware remains the dominant threat to care delivery, hitting hospitals, clinics, and billing vendors in waves. The verdict shows investigators and prosecutors are still dismantling the crews behind those attacks, even as new groups keep forming.
