Belarusian Hacker Sentenced to 16 Years in U.S. Prison

Belarusian citizen Maksim Silnikau has been sentenced in the United States to 16 years in prison for cyber fraud. U.S. authorities had been tracking his network’s activities since 2015. He was considered one of the world’s most prolific Russian-speaking hackers.

Silnikau, 40, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia reports.

According to prosecutors, the Belarusian was the creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware operation, established in 2021. He had been active on Russian-language hacking forums since at least 2005 and was a member of the cybercrime website Direct Connection from 2011 to 2016. The site was shut down after its administrator was arrested.

“Beginning in May 2021, Silnikau developed a ransomware operation and began recruiting participants from cybercrime forums. On various occasions, Silnikau distributed information and tools to Ransom Cartel participants, including information about compromised computers, such as stolen credentials, and tools such as those designed to encrypt or “lock” compromised computers,” prosecutors said.

According to investigators, from 2021 to 2023, Silnikau and Ransom Cartel carried out attacks against at least 18 companies worldwide, including in the United States. The hackers stole data and demanded payment in exchange for a key to unlock the stolen data or a promise not to publish the victim’s data.

Ransom Cartel’s activities were halted in July 2023 after Silnikau was arrested. He was detained in Spain and in 2024 was extradited from Poland to the United States.

According to BelPol, Silnikau studied at Minsk Gymnasium No. 5 and later at the Belarusian National Technical University. He worked for the Technotransvariant company. He was wanted for evading military service. He left Belarus in 2013.