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Ransomware & Malware The Record 3 weeks ago

Ryuk ransomware operator gets 2-year sentence after extorting victims for $1.2 million

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CyberNew Threat Research Desk
• Original Reporting: The Record
CyberNew Threat Intel Assessment
Assessed Severity: INFORMATIONAL
Impacted Surface
Enterprise Perimeter & Network Defense
Intelligence Sector
Ransomware & Malware

Analyst Takeaway

"Image: Soumil Kumar / Pexels Ryuk ransomware operator gets 2-year sentence after extorting victims for $1.2 million An Armenian national was sentenced to two years in U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty in July to charges related to multiple ransomware attacks. Karen Vardanyan, 35, will also have three years of supervised release and will have to pay $1,219,106 in restitution to victims of..."

Recommended Defense & Mitigation

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Curated & Verified by CyberNew Threat Intelligence Desk Standard Defense Framework (NIST / MITRE ATT&CK)
Hacker
Image: Soumil Kumar / Pexels

Ryuk ransomware operator gets 2-year sentence after extorting victims for $1.2 million

An Armenian national was sentenced to two years in U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty in July to charges related to multiple ransomware attacks. 

Karen Vardanyan, 35, will also have three years of supervised release and will have to pay $1,219,106 in restitution to victims of the cyberattacks he launched. Vardanyan was extradited from Ukraine in July 2025 after being arrested in Kyiv. 

Prosecutors accused Vardanyan of being a core member of the Ryuk ransomware gang, noting in court documents that he and his co-conspirators launched over 2,400 ransomware attacks on victims around the world, including state and local municipalities. 

The attacks “severely disrupted these entities’ abilities to function by restricting access to data and impacting communications,” prosecutors said. 

Source Verification & Original Intelligence

This threat report was reviewed by CyberNew analysts and cross-referenced with primary security disclosures from The Record.

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