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* In this interview this person will be identified as LB0 (Lockbit administrator, founding member)
* vx-underground conducted this interview over TOX
	- Text and grammar has been modified to improve legibility


смелли: 		When did you start Lockbit and why?
LB0: 			Lockbit was founded September 3rd, 2019. Other groups were autistic or drug addicts.

смелли: 		Hahahaha. So, was this your first ransomware group? Or were you a veteran of the ransomware scene?
LB0:			I am a veteran.

смелли:			How'd you come up with the name Lockbit? It's a cool name
LB0:			Normal logic, lock and byte, lock byte [sic]

смелли:			Did you start Lockbit by yourself? Or did you have a team?
LB0:			I had a team. I'm the boss. Lockbit 1.0 was not created alone. Currently our team has over 10 members which includes pentesters,
			developers, money launderers, testers, and negotiators.

смелли:			You mentioned other competitors were drug addicts. Is substance abuse an issue in ransomware groups?
LB0:			Yes, cocaine or marijuana. I use drugs, but in very reasonable quantities and in rare occasion

смелли:			Understood. Well, is the current Lockbit team still present in Lockbit 3.0?
LB0:			Yes, people very rarely leave. If they do leave, I find and recruit.

смелли:			Do you ever see internal conflicts in the group? How do you manage that?
LB0:			If I see that the person behaves inadequately and does not correct himself, then I fire such a person or create conditions under 
			which he leaves on his own.
			
смелли:			Do you ever hire outside of your team? Like contractors?
LB0:			Naturally, I hire different specialists for any work. I can't do everything with my own hands. In fact, I am a manager.

смелли:			This is a lot of work. Are you stressed from running the largest cyber cartel in history?
LB0:			I don't have any stress, I love my job, it's a lot of fun. I love when when I have 5 stars and helicopters like 
			in GTA, I have fun.
			
смелли:			Your group is extremely active, how many affiliates do you have?
LB0:			No more than 100 people at the moment. My dream is 300 partners like 300 Spartans. In my blog there is a detailed description of how to 
			become a partner, it can become any person from the planet earth and even aliens. 
			http://lockbitapt2d73krlbewgv27tquljgxr33xbwwsp6rkyieto7u4ncead.onion/rules
			
смелли:			Regarding affiliates, you mentioned you have over 100... do you have ban affiliates? Do affiliates know each other? Do you have a chatroom?
LB0:			No, we don't have a chatroom. If someone wants to share they're a partner, they can do so. As far as banning affiliates - I do regular 
			purges and block those who are not active.

смелли:			Do you ever reward affiliates for being active or doing big ransoms?
LB0:			The best reward for my partners is a stable platform to work with an impeccable reputation, the fourth year of stability what could be better?

смелли:			Do you negotiate for affiliates? Or do they do it themselves?
LB0:			I negotiate personally, for an increased percentage, the usual percentage is 20%, but if the negotiations are conducted by me personally, 
			the percentage ranges from 30 to 50% depending on the complexity and effectiveness of the negotiations.
			
смелли:			Have you seen a decrease of affiliates since the beginning of the Russian / Ukrainian conflict?
LB0:			Yes I observe, 1-20% of the partners have gone to other countries to avoid being mobilized, the FBI has a great opportunity to 
			catch someone who is not watching their anonymity and not quality laundering of money obtained by criminal means.
			
смелли:			Do you ever casually talk with affiliates or consider them your friends?
LB0:			Every partner is my friend) 
			
смелли:			Regarding affiliates, people have discussed the difficulty of cashing out ransoms. Is it hard?
LB0:			I don't believe it, it's very simple.

смелли:			What really? Its easy to cash out?
LB0:			There's nothing easier than cashing out, it's the easiest thing in my job. Just transfer the money to Chinese exchangers, from there 
			to another exchange, then to drop *** cards. You send the *** to the ATM and they bring you the cash.
			
смелли:			How do *** get the crypto on a card?
LB0:			There are a lot of online services, from cryptocurrency exchanges to exchangers and localbitcoins. I always use different ways 
			to blend in with the crowd.

смелли:			You trust ***?
LB0:			I don't trust ***, but if you cash out long over several years and in small installments there is no problem.

смелли: 		Where do you find ***? Forums?
LB0:			Yes

смелли:			... Do you meet them in person?
LB0:			Yes

смелли:			Do these money mules know you're the leader of Lockbit?
LB0:			No lol they think I'm just some random hacker

смелли:			Wow. How much cash do you have these mules move?
LB0:			1000-7000$

смелли:			Do the mules go to the same ATM? Or multiple?
LB0:			lol? Of course not, they go to different ATMs, I trust *** no more than $7,000

смелли:			Do you give these mules a percentage of the money they cashed out?
LB0:			Yes, 5%

смелли:			In a video that was released, some cl0p ransomware affiliates stored their money under a mattress. Is that where you keep your money too?
LB0:			I don't have money under my mattress, everything I cash out I immediately invest in the business and mix it with legal money, this 
			way I inflate my business profits and launder money. And I spend only the money that is obtained in an honest way from the profits of 
			my business and pay with my card)))
			
смелли:			Hahahaha. Yes, its been rumored you own a restaurant. Is this true?
LB0:			It's true, now I have 3 restaurants in China, and 2 restaurants in New York

смелли:			Random question: If you had the chance to tell threat intelligence something, what would you say?
LB0:			Work better bums, you have to find all my competitors, but you can never find me.

смелли:			Random question: If you had the chance to talk to the FBI, what would you say?
LB0:			Free Assange.

смелли:			Random question: If you had a chance to tell an anti virus company something. What would you say?
LB0:			Don't watch your users please