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ransomware
Who Runs the Ransomware Group ‘The Gentlemen?’
The Gentlemen ransomware group, the second most active ransomware gang by victim count with over 240 victims in 2026 alone, operates as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) offering that attracts affiliates with a 90/10 revenue split. Security researchers have traced the group's administrator, known as Hastalamuerte and later Zeta88, to Alexander Andreevich Yapaev, a 36-year-old from Izhevsk, Russia, through analysis of forum registrations, email addresses, Telegram accounts, and Russian government database records. The group targets internet-facing devices such as VPNs and firewalls as entry points and encrypts entire networks within hours.
Why it matters: Organizations worldwide are at risk of targeted ransomware attacks by a highly motivated and well-funded criminal group; practitioners should prioritize securing internet-facing devices and implementing rapid detection and response capabilities for lateral movement.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker
Source attribution
Correction
Correction recorded as of .
ransomware
Who Runs the Ransomware Group ‘The Gentlemen?’
The Gentlemen ransomware group, the second most active ransomware gang by victim count with over 240 victims in 2026 alone, operates as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) offering that attracts affiliates with a 90/10 revenue split. Security researchers have traced the group's administrator, known as Hastalamuerte and later Zeta88, to Alexander Andreevich Yapaev, a 36-year-old from Izhevsk, Russia, through analysis of forum registrations, email addresses, Telegram accounts, and Russian government database records. The group targets internet-facing devices such as VPNs and firewalls as entry points and encrypts entire networks within hours.
Why it matters: Organizations worldwide are at risk of targeted ransomware attacks by a highly motivated and well-funded criminal group; practitioners should prioritize securing internet-facing devices and implementing rapid detection and response capabilities for lateral movement.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker