Is This $1M Seizure Enough to Stop Putin's Ransomware Army?

A million dollars. That’s what the U.S. Department of Justice was recently able to recover from a Russian-based ransomware group. Four servers, nine domains, and some Bitcoin. Sounds impressive, right? On the news, headlines bellow about a global collaboration and an epic defeat to cybercrime. Let’s undelude ourselves, these aren’t exactly the moves that are going to make Putin lose some sleep. Is it really even a dent in the issue?

David vs. Goliath in Cyberspace

This sure feels like David throwing a pebble at Goliath… a Goliath with nuclear missiles and a deep pocketed bank account. At the same time, we’re supposed to be celebrating their seizing of $1 million while these guys have extorted upwards of $370 million since 2022. They've demanded half a billion! The scale is beyond… hilarious, if it was not so frightening.

Think of it like this: you're trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. The US and its allies should be commended for their persistence. They need to do much more by putting enough of the right resources toward fighting this growing threat if they hope to combat the scale of the issue.

Who's paying the price? Hospitals, schools, energy companies, even government agencies. These aren’t faceless corporations — these are the public and non-profit institutions that maintain our quality of life. They are vital.

Southeast Asia: The Next Battleground?

Here's where the perspective shifts. As Western nations continue to adjust their defenses against these threats to infrastructure, developing nations, especially in Southeast Asia, are becoming more susceptible. They are the low-hanging fruit.

Cybersecurity infrastructure that is less robust, lack of resources, and an increasing dependence on digital technologies. They’re completely unprotected, and the impact can be catastrophic. For a rural Indonesian village’s hospital, a ransomware attack could be the difference between life and death for patients. The stakes have never been more important.

We must begin with the fundamental questions, are we doing enough to support these nations to strengthen their own defenses? Are we providing equitable access to our field expertise and financial resources? Or are we okay with allowing them to remain collateral damage in this cyberwar?

It’s precisely these types of innovative solutions that I hope to see coming from Southeast Asia. And gifted cybersecurity practitioners are creating highly localized plans and resources to help address these threats. They need support. They need investment. They need a seat at the table. They are hungry and they do have the will, but do we have the political resolve to empower them?

This isn't just about protecting Western interests. It's about building a more secure and equitable digital world for everyone.

Offense: Is It a Dirty Word?

The elephant in the room: should governments be more proactive in taking the fight to these ransomware gangs? Aren’t we supposed to be conducting offensive cyber operations to disrupt their infrastructure, reveal their identities, and confiscate their assets?

Others counter that it’s a reckless provocation, a dangerous escalation, a digital arms race that can quickly get out of hand. Proponents argue otherwise and insist that this is the only way to really stop and deter these bad actors. Making communities safe solely through a defensive approach would be as foolish as trying to win a war by just creating fortifications.

I agree that a measured, targeted offensive approach is required. Not as a first resort, but as a very useful tool in the arsenal. We need to put the cost of doing business so high that it is not worth it for these gangs. Not by making them afraid, but by making them afraid of the consequences.

So let’s face it, these guys aren’t your rogue hackers out there in their mom’s basement. Too often, they are state-sponsored or at a minimum, state tolerated—as seen in cases of regimes such as Russia. They are pawns in a larger geopolitical chess match, and we have to out maneuver them to win.

This $1 million seizure is just the beginning. A symbolic victory. But it's not enough. We will need a multi-faceted, proactive, and globally inclusive strategy to truly dismantle Putin’s ransomware army. We have to give the Davids of this world the tools they need to take on these Goliaths. Otherwise, as they say, we’re only moving deck chairs on the Titanic. And that's a disaster waiting to happen. Don't you think so?

It's time that we get serious.