The US sanctions VPNs for the first time in a crackdown on ransomware criminals

US Treasury Department this week The #1 approved VPN serviceThey said it enabled cybercriminals to launch ransomware attacks against US companies and institutions.

the Office of Foreign Assets Controlan intelligence and executive agency under the Treasury Department, also sanctioned senior VPN administrator Dmytro Rashevsky and Yezheny Vladimirovich Silayev for selling tools used to hide ransomware and other malware. These tools – known as “cryptors” – prevent security systems from being detected or deactivated.

In May, European authorities Disassemble the first VPNalso known as 1VPNS, arrested Rashevsky, who is based in Dnipro, Ukraine, to culminate an investigation that began in 2021.

Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, said First VPN was well-publicized in Russian-language cybercrime forums as a service offering anonymized payments and hidden infrastructure and services “tailored for criminal use.”

The agency also said that the VPN service helped cybercriminals hide their identities while carrying out ransomware attacks and data theft, and that it had appeared “in almost every major cybercrime investigation that Europol has supported in recent years.”

Treasury Department representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malicious software that enters a computer system and prevents an individual or company from accessing files, systems, or networks. The perpetrator usually demands a ransom to regain access. It’s a huge problem: one estimate puts… At a cost of $74 billion globally this year.

the The FBI advises That people update their operating systems and software, use anti-malware software and Antivirus software And back up your data regularly, among other tips. The FBI also does not recommend paying money to ransomware instigators.

Read more: Best VPNs of 2026

Under the sanctions imposed this week, the Treasury Department will ban all transactions conducted by persons in the United States that involve property owned by Rashevsky or Silayev. The administration also said that any of their properties found in the country or in the possession of any person in the country must be reported to the administration. Financial institutions and others are prohibited from “engaging in certain transactions or activities” involving Rashevsky or Silayev.

The ministry said in the statement: “The ultimate goal of the sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.”

When used legally and ethically, a VPN It is an invaluable tool for consumers looking for online privacy. The most secure and effective VPNs – CNET advises against using the free ones — It will not record or log your data, which means no one can see your online activity. VPNs also mask your actual location with a unique IP address, making it appear as if you are in a different country than the one you are in. Many people use VPNs to watch online content that is geo-restricted in their actual country of residence.

but, As CNET’s Attila Tomaszek wrote“complete anonymity” is impossible, even with the best VPNs. They can help bring some privacy, but so much of our data is accessible that a VPN can never give you a “comprehensive cloak of invisibility on the Internet,” he says.

Cybercrime forums and fake identities

Rashevskyi and First VPN began advertising their services in 2014 on several online cybercrime forums, the Treasury Department said in the news release. First VPN said it did not log users’ identities or activities and would refuse to cooperate with law enforcement investigations into any potential illegal activity arising from servers it rents to customers.

The agency also said that Rashevsky used false identities to convince companies to sell him infrastructure that would not have sold to him if they had known his real identity. The statement said that ISPs complained about illegal activity emanating from First VPN servers.

Ransomware criminals used the infrastructure they obtained from First VPN to attack U.S. corporations, financial services companies, hospitals and municipal governments, according to the Treasury Department.

ft. Silayev, a Belarusian citizen Encryption and Jamming The Treasury Department said it provides services to ransomware operators targeting the United States and allied entities. These encryption programs make malware appear to be harmless files, fooling the computer systems of companies and other organizations.