Unmasked by Leaks: The Hidden Backbone of a Ransomware Operation The leaks tied to the BlackBasta ransomware group and Russian hosting company Media Land pulled back the curtain on something defenders.

Unmasked by #Leaks: The leaks tied to the #BlackBasta ransomware group and #Russia #hosting company #MediaLand pulled back the curtain on something defenders rarely get to see: the internal machinery and people behind a major #ransomware operation.

gbhackers.com/ransomware-o...

Governments sanction Russian “bulletproof” host for aiding ransomware networks   Authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have jointly imposed sanctions on a Russian bulletproof hosting provider accused of giving safe and long-term technical support to ransomware operators and other criminal groups. Officials say the newly sanctioned entities have played a central role in keeping several high-impact cybercrime operations online. A bulletproof hosting service is a type of internet infrastructure provider that knowingly allows harmful activity on its servers. These companies rent out digital space and refuse to take down malicious websites, even when they receive complaints from victims or requests from law enforcement. Such services help threat actors conduct phishing campaigns, distribute malware, run command and control systems for their attacks, and host illegal content without fear of quick removal. This resistance to oversight makes it harder for investigators to disrupt cybercriminal networks. Media Land and its linked companies named as key targets The United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced that Media Land, a Russia-based provider, has been added to the sanctions list along with three related firms: Media Land Technology, Data Center Kirishi, and ML Cloud. According to officials, Media Land’s infrastructure has been connected to well-known ransomware groups. It has also been tied to distributed denial-of-service attacks that targeted American companies, including systems categorized as critical infrastructure such as parts of the telecommunications sector. Officials name individuals connected to the operation Sanctions also extend to three people associated with Media Land. Aleksandr Volosovik has been identified as someone who promoted the company’s services on underground cybercriminal forums under the username Yalishanda. Another individual, Kirill Zatolokin, is accused of handling customer payments. A third person, Yulia Pankova, is said to have assisted with legal matters and financial management. The United Kingdom additionally stated that Volosovik has interacted with multiple cybercrime groups in the past. Other companies involved in supporting the infrastructure The sanctions package further includes Aeza Group LLC, another bulletproof hosting operator that had already been sanctioned earlier this year. Authorities say Aeza attempted to continue operating by using a UK-based company named Hypercore Ltd as a front. Additional entities in Serbia and Uzbekistan that provided technical assistance to the network have also been designated. Government agencies issue defensive guidance Along with the sanctions, cybersecurity agencies across the Five Eyes alliance released technical recommendations to help defenders identify and block activity linked to bulletproof hosting services. They suggest creating high-confidence lists of harmful internet resources based on verified threat intelligence, performing continuous monitoring of network traffic, and applying filtering rules at network boundaries while examining how those rules might affect legitimate users. The guidance also encourages service providers to maintain stronger onboarding checks for new customers since criminal operators often hide behind temporary email accounts or phone numbers. Implications of the sanctions All assets connected to the named individuals and companies within the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia will now be frozen. Any organisation or person that continues to conduct transactions with them may face secondary sanctions or other enforcement actions. This step builds on earlier actions taken in February, when the three nations sanctioned ZServers, another Russian hosting operation, while Dutch authorities seized more than one hundred of its servers. The coordinated announcement signals a growing international effort to dismantle the online infrastructure that ransomware groups depend on. It also reinforces the need for organisations to maintain strong cybersecurity practices, rely on reputable service providers, and monitor threat intelligence to reduce exposure to criminal activity.

Governments sanction Russian “bulletproof” host for aiding ransomware networks #Bulletproofhosting #CyberCrime #medialand

US, UK, Australia sanction Lockbit gang’s hosting provider : ‘Bulletproof’ hosts partly dodged the last attack of this sort

US, UK, Australia sanction #Lockbit gang’s hosting provider
www.theregister.com/2025/11/20/r...

Sanctions imposed on several #Russia-linked entities they claim provide hosting services to #ransomware gangs
#CyberSecurity #MediaLand #CyberCrime #Crimeware

US imposes sanctions on Palestinians for requesting war crimes investigation Groups based in Gaza and Ramallah had asked international criminal court to investigate Israel over genocide claims

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
I wouldn’t be holding the US as a beacon for Freedom of Information MediaLand 5/9/25 @timburrowes.bsky.social #MediaLand @abcnewsbot.bsky.social

“clearly the organisation acted hastily and made decisions on the run, whether in response to external or internal forces. No one will really know, but there was obviously a lot of noise at the time. And I think my role is to make sure that we approach those decisions calmly, clearly, that we follow the processes that are in place, you know, within the organisation to be able to consider these sorts of decisions. And we don't make, you know, what have been regarded as unlawful decisions. And did you read that full judgement? I did. I didn't spend a lot of time analysing it. I sort of felt going into that, that I had a fair idea where that might go. Obviously, there were elements to the judgement that are interesting. It was never, I guess, in my contemplation, that necessarily some of the things that were found would be found, but here we are. But I think the lessons were already there for people to see, which were the things that I just talked about.”

“And what lessons have you taken from the Antoinette Lattouf legal case?”

Is ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks denying there were external forces?
Says he didn’t spend a lot of time analysing the judgement.
#mediaLand #ausPol

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

@meadea.bsky.social What a thoroughly entertaining 30 minutes of radio! Thanks to you and Tim and producers #MediaLand

Original post on mastodon.nzoss.nz

"I think there's a place for government money in any industry that's in transition, and that's very much what we're seeing in the news space at the moment. This is not something that's come up in the last couple of years really, this is an issue that's been 40 years in the making in lots of […]