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Volodymyr Tymoshchuk is a man who most people have never heard of, but the U.S. government recently placed an $11 million bounty on him. He is neither a weapons smuggler, nor a cartel boss. Rather, prosecutors claim that he is among the most active ransomware operators of the last 10 years, a person who allegedly helped destroy hospitals, power plants, and multinational corporations. The Ukrainian national is being charged as the mastermind of attacks that have resulted in over $18 billion in losses across different companies around the world. Operating under aliases like "deadforz" and "Boba," it's alleged that he was the creator and operator of the tools that broke into networks, locked up private data, and demanded payment for the release of it. According to reports, some businesses paid millions. Others struggled to stay afloat while paralyzed for days. Thanks to his involvement in seven different felonies, all of which carry a potential life sentence, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. has labeled Tymoshchuk as a "serial ransomware criminal." The size of the bounty really speaks to the gravity of the situation, and with the rise of ransomware and evolved cyberattacks, it's important that these crimes are being taken seriously.