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Operation Cronos

Operation Cronos wave 1

February 2024, Ransomware
Led by National Crime Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Verified core entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026

What was taken down?

34 servers seized across eight countries; source code and affiliate data obtained; more than 1,000 decryption keys recovered; more than 200 cryptocurrency wallets frozen; approximately 14,000 rogue accounts closed; leak site taken over and operated by law enforcement.[1][2][3][4]

See what happened

What happened to the people?

Officials reported 2 apprehended.
4 charged, 3 apprehended, 2 convicted, and 3 publicly wanted named in the public record.
Group accounted for: Members remain at large

See people and accountability

Did it stay down?

After this action the service returned under the same operators, first seen February 2024. No later seizure of the replacement is recorded. High confidence in the link between the two.

See what happened afterward

UK National Crime Agency-led international task force that infiltrated and seized LockBit's primary administration environment and leak site, then repurposed the leak site to publish information about the group.[1][2][3][4]

Announced February 20, 2024.

Date
February 19 to February 20, 2024
Target
LockBit, ransomware as a service
Activity
Ransomware, Cryptocurrency laundering
Operational lead
NCA and FBI
Partners
Europol, USAO-DNJ, and 4 more[2][4]
Jurisdiction
United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Poland, and Ukraine
Outcome
34 servers seized across eight countries; source code and affiliate data obtained; more than 1,000 decryption keys recovered; more than 200 cryptocurrency wallets frozen; approximately 14,000 rogue accounts closed; leak site taken over and operated by law enforcement.
Status
Completed
Legal mechanism
UK judicial process; US seizure warrants and indictments (District of New Jersey); Europol and Eurojust coordination; European Arrest Warrants
Group accounted for
Members remain at large

Infrastructure

34 servers seized, 1 onion service taken over, 200 cryptocurrency wallets frozen, and 14,000 user accounts disabled.

34
servers seized
1
onion service taken over
more than 200
cryptocurrency wallets frozen
Identifier Recorded as Status Notes
Not published 34 servers Seized 34 servers seized across the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, France, Switzerland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[1]
Not published 1 onion service Taken over Leak site seized and repurposed by the task force to publish information about the group.[1]
Not published more than 200 cryptocurrency wallets Frozen More than 200 cryptocurrency wallets linked to the group frozen.[1]
Not published approximately 14,000 user accounts Disabled Approximately 14,000 rogue accounts on third-party services used for exfiltration and infrastructure were closed.[1]

Domains and onion addresses are shown defanged. Where the record gives a count but no identifier, the count is shown in place of one. This list carries only what appears in the cited sources.

4
charged
3
apprehended
2
convicted
3
publicly wanted

Named in the public record: 4 charged, 3 apprehended, 2 convicted, and 3 publicly wanted.

Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted.

Reported and named. Officials reported 2 apprehended. 4 charged, 3 apprehended, 2 convicted, and 3 publicly wanted named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record.
Person Role Current public status
LockBit affiliate ChargedPublicly wanted
Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers
Case number
24-80
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]
Creator, developer, and administrator of LockBit, operating as LockBitSupp ChargedPublicly wantedSanctioned
Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Intentional damage to a protected computer; Extortion in relation to information obtained from a protected computer
Case number
24-299
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Core operator
Sources
[4]
LockBit affiliate operating as Bassterlord ChargedPublicly wanted
Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers
Case number
24-80
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]
Ransomware affiliate associated with LockBit, Babuk, and Hive Charged
Charging authority
United States Department of Justice
Main charges
Conspiracy to transmit ransom demands; Conspiracy to damage protected computers; Intentional damage to protected computers; Creation and use of malicious computer programs, per Russian media reports
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]
LockBit affiliate ArrestedSentencedPleaded guiltyExtradited
Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Arrest location
Ontario, ON, Canada
Extradition status
Extradited
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty, July 18, 2024
Sentence
Approximately four years imprisonment
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]
Alleged LockBit developer ArrestedExtradited
Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Israel Police
Arrest location
Israel
Extradition status
Extradited, March 2025
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Developer
Sources
[3]
LockBit affiliate ArrestedPleaded guilty
Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Arrest location
Arizona, AZ, United States
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty, July 18, 2024
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Artur Sungatov

LockBit affiliate. Current public status: Charged and Publicly wanted.

Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers
Case number
24-80
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev

Creator, developer, and administrator of LockBit, operating as LockBitSupp. Current public status: Charged, Publicly wanted, and Sanctioned.

Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Intentional damage to a protected computer; Extortion in relation to information obtained from a protected computer
Case number
24-299
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Core operator
Sources
[4]

Ivan Gennadievich Kondratyev

LockBit affiliate operating as Bassterlord. Current public status: Charged and Publicly wanted.

Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Main charges
Conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion and related activity in connection with computers
Case number
24-80
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev

Ransomware affiliate associated with LockBit, Babuk, and Hive. Current public status: Charged.

Charging authority
United States Department of Justice
Main charges
Conspiracy to transmit ransom demands; Conspiracy to damage protected computers; Intentional damage to protected computers; Creation and use of malicious computer programs, per Russian media reports
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Not established in the public record
Arrest location
Not established in the public record
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Mikhail Vasiliev

LockBit affiliate. Current public status: Arrested, Sentenced, Pleaded guilty, and Extradited.

Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Arrest location
Ontario, ON, Canada
Extradition status
Extradited
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty, July 18, 2024
Sentence
Approximately four years imprisonment
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Rostislav Panev

Alleged LockBit developer. Current public status: Arrested and Extradited.

Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Israel Police
Arrest location
Israel
Extradition status
Extradited, March 2025
Conviction or plea
Not established in the public record
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Developer
Sources
[3]

Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov

LockBit affiliate. Current public status: Arrested and Pleaded guilty.

Charging authority
Not established in the public record
Main charges
Not established in the public record
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Arrest location
Arizona, AZ, United States
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty, July 18, 2024
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Affiliate
Sources
[3]

Rows expand to show charging authority, case identifiers, custody status, and sources.

Group accounted for: Members remain at large

The core administrator Khoroshev was identified and charged but remains at large in Russia, as do at least two charged affiliates. The service relaunched within days, explicitly demonstrating remaining members.

A small core comprising the administrator LockBitSupp and at least one developer, surrounded by a large affiliate population that is a separate segment.

See the organizations and roles behind this action

LockBit relaunched on new infrastructure within days; further charges and sanctions followed in May 2024.[1][2][3][4]

  1. February 2024

    LockBit relaunch and LockBit 4.0 and 5.0. Same operators. Confidence: High. No later seizure recorded.[1]

    The administrator publicly relaunched a new leak site within five days of the takedown, attributing the compromise to an unpatched PHP vulnerability. Subsequent versions 4.0 and 5.0 were released under the same brand and administrator identity.

February 2024

LockBit relaunch and LockBit 4.0 and 5.0. Same operators. Confidence: High. No later seizure recorded.[1]

The administrator publicly relaunched a new leak site within five days of the takedown, attributing the compromise to an unpatched PHP vulnerability. Subsequent versions 4.0 and 5.0 were released under the same brand and administrator identity.

Return class B. The class is a research grading carried in the source dataset and its scale is not published, so this page relies on the relationship and confidence values instead. How this index handles it.

Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them.

Official sources

  1. [1]
    International investigation disrupts the world's most harmful cyber crime group

    National Crime Agency, February 20, 2024, Source grade P1

    34 servers seized, decryption keys, wallet freezes, account closures, leak-site takeover, task force roster

    No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

  2. [2]
    Law enforcement disrupt world's biggest ransomware operation

    Europol, February 20, 2024, Source grade P2

    Participating countries and coordination roles, Poland and Ukraine arrests

    No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

  3. [3]
    US Department of Justice announcements on LockBit charges and defendants

    United States Department of Justice, February 20, 2024, Source grade P1

    Charges against Sungatov, Kondratyev, Vasiliev, Astamirov, Panev, and Matveev; arrest and extradition history

    No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

  4. [4]
    United States v. Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, Criminal No. 24-299

    United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, May 7, 2024, Source grade P0

    26-count indictment identifying LockBitSupp as Khoroshev; coordinated sanctions and reward

    No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

Coverage note.
  • Named person records span the February 2024 action and the connected May 2024 unsealing; the charging events are recorded with their own dates.
  • Two individuals were arrested in Poland and Ukraine on the action date but were not publicly named, so they do not appear as person records.
  • LockBit was reported to have extorted approximately 500 million USD from more than 2,500 victims.
  • Post-takedown LockBit leak-site activity is widely assessed as inflated with recycled victim claims. Recorded as a source disagreement.