The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia on Wednesday announced coordinated sanctions against Media Land, a Russia-based bulletproof hosting service provider, for supporting ransomware operations and other cybercrime.
Bulletproof hosting (BPH) providers sell servers and technical infrastructure designed to let cybercriminals operate with minimal risk of detection or legal consequences, making them a key enabler for ransomware, distributed denial-of-service attacks, and other malicious activity.
Media Land, headquartered in St. Petersburg, has allegedly provided services to ransomware actors including Lockbit, BlackSuit, and Play. Its infrastructure has also been used in distributed denial-of-service attacks targeting U.S. companies and critical infrastructure. Sister company ML Cloud has allegedly supported Media Land’s ransomware and DDoS operations.
“These so-called bulletproof hosting service providers like Media Land provide cybercriminals essential services to aid them in attacking businesses in the United States and in allied countries,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “Today’s trilateral action with Australia and the United Kingdom, in coordination with law enforcement partners, demonstrates our collective commitment to combatting cybercrime and protecting our citizens.”
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, designated five individuals and seven companies connected to Media Land and Aeza Group. Individuals include Media Land’s general director Aleksandr Volosovik; employee Kirill Zatolokin, who coordinates payments and operations; and Yulia Pankova, who assisted Volosovik financially and legally. The sanctions also cover Aeza executives Maksim Vladimirovich Makarov and Ilya Vladislavovich Zakirov, who were involved in efforts to evade previous sanctions.
Designated companies include Media Land Technology, Data Center Kirishi, and ML Cloud, as well as Aeza-linked entities based outside Russia, including Hypercore Ltd. in the United Kingdom, Smart Digital Ideas DOO in Serbia, and Datavice MCHJ in Uzbekistan.
Under the sanctions, all property and interests of the designated individuals and companies in the U.S. or controlled by U.S. persons are blocked. U.S. regulations prohibit any transactions involving their property without authorization, and financial institutions engaging with them could face sanctions or enforcement actions.
