Japan Hands Over Suspected Qilin Hacker to Germany

Japanese authorities handed the suspect to Germany on October 2 after detaining him in Osaka in May, investigative sources said. The 28-year-old Russian national is suspected of belonging to Qilin, an international ransomware group. German authorities are investigating an alleged September 2024 attack on a logistics company, in which data was reportedly stolen and encrypted before a Bitcoin ransom demand of about $165,000. The suspect is alleged to have helped build systems used in attacks. Qilin has also claimed responsibility for a major cyberattack on Japan’s Asahi Group.