International authorities are ramping up their efforts to stop groups and individuals using the LockBit ransomware to target unsuspecting users. The latest was the crackdown on the Russia-based Zservers, a bulletproof hosting service provider that allegedly had links with the LockBit cryptocurrency ransomware group.

In a media statement, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) shared that they have worked with the US and the UK to freeze the assets that belong to Zservers and its affiliate company, XHOST Internet Solutions LP, and ban international travel for six persons.

According to the AFP report, over 200 crypto accounts allegedly owned by the group have been frozen by the authorities, cutting the group’s source of funding and profits.

Zservers Hit With Sanctions

Zservers, a bulletproof hosting (BPH) service provider based in Russia, is now facing sanctions for its links with the LockBit gang. LockBit is a Russian group known for deploying one of the most dangerous ransomware attacks in recent years.

🚨 SANCTIONED: Russian cyber entity ZSERVERS, the launchpad for crippling ransomware attacks, and their UK front, XHOST Internet Solutions LP.

The UK is cracking down on the Russian cybercrime supply chain and the predatory ransomware activity it feeds. pic.twitter.com/AzE80qrxMT

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) February 11, 2025

In November 2023, the group targeted the Industrial Commercial Bank of China. Multiple reports show that China’s biggest lender paid ransom after the hacking. The hackers were successful, and the bank’s corporate emails stopped working, forcing employees to use Gmail.

A Bulletproof hosting (BPH) service provider, like Zservers, offers access to specialised servers and infrastructure designed to cloak operators, evade detection, and skirt the law.

According to the US Treasury Department, this type of company often sells tools for bad actors that can hide identities, locations, and online identities. Bradley Smith of the US Treasury explained that companies like Zservers enable criminals to attack the US and other countries’ online infrastructure.

What Is The LockBit Ransomware And How Does It Work?

LockBit works as a “ransomware-as-a-service” product, which means that any individual or group, even without tech skills, can buy and use its ready-made ransomware program and target unsuspecting users.

Ransomware is a malicious software that can attack devices and networks and encrypt files and data, making them worthless.

Traditionally, hackers and cybercriminals use ransomware to demand payments from victims in exchange for recovering lost or encrypted data. Often, victims will pay the ransom in cryptocurrency.

Crypto Addresses Owned By Zservers Administrators Now Sanctioned

As part of the authorities’ crackdown, the assets of Zservers’ administrators are currently on hold. According to reports, six individuals were targeted, including two Zserver administrators, Aleksandr Sergeyevich Bolshakov and Alexander Igorevich Mishin, who are involved in LockBit’s crypto transactions.

According to Chainanalysis, a crypto address associated with Minchin and three other wallets owned by the company are now under the control of the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), meaning they’re subject to sanctions.

The office also shared that the group have laundered around $7 billion worth of crypto using 44 Tordano Cash addresses.

Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView

Deepseek’s sudden aggressive arrival on the AI scene has seemingly woken OpenAI out of its deep slumber.

All of a sudden, GPT 4.5 and GPT 5 are due to be released to the public soon, and Elon Musk wants to buy OpenAI – an offer that was rebuffed by their CEO, Sam Altman.

All of this made-for-TV AI drama has sparked even more investor interest in AI crypto, with most of them currently showing nice bullish profit signs.

Therefore, now is the ideal time to get into some juicy AI crypto presales and hopefully make a few bucks before AI becomes sentient.

MIND of Pepe – The AI Crypto Coin That Wants To Give You An Investment Edge

The problem is, there are a lot of AI crypto coins out there. So which ones are the gold nuggets and which ones are the vegan chicken nuggets?

How about a new crypto AI coin that wants to give you unique investment insights and give you an edge over everyone else? If that sounds like your kind of thing, then take a look at MIND of Pepe ($MIND). Yes, that Pepe.

It seems that the Pepe family are very busy these days with the meme coins business. After first being unchained, then taking Wall Street by storm, their current project is diving into the hive mind of the internet and listening to crypto-related conversations on places like X (formerly Twitter).

MIND of Pepe will analyze all the buzz, figure out all the trends, and break down all the positive and the negative bits of information. Then it will all be presented to $MIND token holders in the form of exclusive investment recommendations.

$MIND token holders will also get early access to new token projects and features. As AI continues its unstoppable forward momentum, getting early access to new cutting-edge AI technologies in the future will be a must-have.

Get MIND of Pepe AI Tokens With a 384% Staking APY

All of these offers makes MIND of Pepe one of the best presales currently out there. The good news is that the price is $0.0033188 right now, which is a very low-cost, low-risk barrier to dipping your toes into the AI waters.

The cherry on top is a sweet staking APY of 384% which is going down each day as investors jump in with both feet.

So today would be a fine day to start buying these AI coins and get an edge over your uncle who thinks he’s going to be rich soon with this ‘AI thing.’

As well as MIND of Pepe, also take a look at some more of our AI crypto recommendations. Some good ones include ai16z ($AI16Z), Freysa (FAI), and Virtuals Protocol ($VIRTUALS).

Before Buying AI Coins, Remember To Do Your Research!

We get it, AI is exciting stuff and you want to invest in the future. But so is keeping a roof over your head and not emptying out the pension fund.

Therefore, the golden rule of crypto investing is to never spend money you can’t afford to potentially lose. Crypto investing is fun but not when you’re broke.

We pride ourselves on our expert analysis of the best altcoins. But nevertheless, don’t ever take only one person’s word for it. Consult lots of sources, ask lots of questions, and come to your own decisions. Then maybe start off with a small investment first to see how it goes?

Heima (HEI) coin stole the spotlight amid a broader crypto market recovery-like trend, primarily as its price skyrocketed 70% in a day. Notably, the cryptocurrency enjoyed a bullish movement against the backdrop of crypto exchange behemoth Binance’s enhanced trade offerings. In turn, market watchers speculate whether the token, also known to be the evolved version of the Litentry Network, could sustain a bullish movement ahead.

Heima Coin Bullish Amid Binance’s Enhanced Trade Offerings

In an official Binance announcement dated February 13, the crypto exchange giant revealed that it is adding Heima coin to the ‘Earn, Buy Crypto, Convert, Margin & Futures’ trading platforms. As per the announcement, flexible products for the coin will be available on ‘Simple Earn’ starting today at 08:00 UTC. Starting February 14, users can purchase the asset using any of the payment options available on the platform’s ‘ Auto-Invest’ division.

Further, users can also buy via VISA, MasterCard, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Revolut, and their account balances on the ‘Buy Crypto’ page within one hour of the spot listing. Also, the platform’s colossal user base can trade the coin against BTC, USDT, and any other tokens on ‘Convert’ at zero fees within one hour of the spot listing.

Binance Margin will add the HEI coin as a new borrowable asset on cross and isolated margin, as well as the HEI/USDT and HEI/USDC pairs today at 11:00 UTC. Lastly, the crypto exchange revealed that it will also launch a USD-Margined perpetual contract for the asset with up to 75x leverage today at 09:00 UTC.

Altogether, the enhanced trade offering by one of the top crypto exchanges significantly enhances market exposure, paving the way for money inflow into the token’s ecosystem. As a result, the coin’s price shot up phenomenally amid the announcement.

HEI Price Skyshots 70%

Heima coin’s price surged by a whopping 70% as of press time, trading at $1.23. The coin’s 24-hour low and high were $0.7291 and $1.36, respectively. The current bullish trajectory primarily mirrors soaring market optimism amid new listings on one of the leading crypto exchanges. Further, the recent crypto market recovery appears to have bolstered the price surge.

Intriguingly, traders also appear to be positive on the recent development, as indicated by a 14414.65% uptick in the intraday trading volume to $64.27 million. The current dynamics indicate that the coin is seeing heightened market interest, paving the way for further bullish movement.

Litentry Network (LIT) Rebranding Saga

Meanwhile, it’s also noteworthy that the coin witnessed a rebranding saga as this year kicked off. Notably, the Heima (HEI) coin is a rebranded version of the Litentry Network (LIT), per an announcement as of January 2025. The rebranding reflects the project’s evolution from a decentralized identity to a chain abstraction entity.

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Coingape Staff

CoinGape comprises an experienced team of native content writers and editors working round the clock to cover news globally and present news as a fact rather than an opinion. CoinGape writers and reporters contributed to this article.

Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.