# U.S. Sanctions First VPN Service and Malware Cryptor Seller Over Ransomware Support A VPN service and cryptor seller were sanctioned for supporting ransomware attacks. - **Source:** [The Hacker News](https://brifing.si/source/f944ec2b-8180-47bc-94de-57085b5a6563) - **Published:** 2026-07-14 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/f1350c88-2218-4a2e-a5de-4a1a73d0203a ## Sanctions on VPN Service The U.S. Treasury sanctioned First VPN Service and its administrator Dmytro Rashevskyi for supporting ransomware attacks. The VPN service claimed not to log user identities or activities. ## Cryptor Seller Belarusian national Yegeniy Vladimirovich Silayev was sanctioned for selling cryptors to conceal ransomware and other malware. These tools helped evade detection by security software. ## Operation Shutdown First VPN Service was shut down in May 2026 as part of a joint operation by European and North American authorities. The service was used to obscure the origins of ransomware attacks. ## Victims Victims of ransomware attacks using the VPN infrastructure included U.S. businesses, financial services companies, hospitals, and municipal governments. The attacks caused billions in damages. ## Fake Identities Rashevskyi used fake identities like 'Maksim Sorin' and 'Roman Chabanenko' to purchase infrastructure. These identities helped bypass complaints from internet service providers. ## EU and UK Sanctions The EU and UK sanctioned 24 individuals and entities for Russia's attempts to sow chaos in Europe. These sanctions target Russia's cyber and hybrid operations. ## Sources covering this story - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/us-sanctions-first-vpn-service-and.html — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._