State Department Puts Multi-Million Dollar Bounty on Heads of Shadowy Russian Hacker Group
The cyber attackers tried to cause chaos in lead up to invasion of Ukraine.
The Department of State has issued a massive $60 Million Bounty on six Russian hackers who are alleged to have launched numerous cyber-attacks against Ukraine, America, and other NATO member nations.
The dirty half-dozen are charged with hacking into dozens of computers belonging to members of the Ukrainian government in an attempt to destroy them in the lead-up to Russia’s invasion, according to a report from Newsweek.
An indictment released Thursday claims that the group, which is comprised of members of five members of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces and one civilian, sought to “sow concern among Ukrainian citizens regarding the safety of their government systems and personal data.”
A Maryland grand jury charged the Russian nationals with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud conspiracy with their campaign, which has been referred to in cybersecurity circles as “WhisperGate.”
“Today’s superseding indictment underscores our commitment to using all the tools at our disposal to pursue those who would do us and our allies around the world harm,” said the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “Cyber intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and we will use all the technologies and investigative measures at our disposal to disrupt and track down these cybercriminals.”
The group is specifically alleged to have targeted the computer systems of countries supporting Ukraine and 25 other NATO members, including one attack that compromised the transportation infrastructure of one country in central Europe.
The lone Russian civilian in the group, identified as Amin Stigal, was already indicted back in July for his participation in a group of attacks on the cyber infrastructure of Ukraine’s Ministries of Energy, International Affairs, and the Treasury Department.
The other five — which includes a Russian military colonel — are members of the infamous cybergroup Unit 29155, which is believed to have been involved in covert attacks orchestrated by Russian Intelligence agencies to destabilize Western states.
The collective offered bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American troops stationed in Afghanistan and is also linked to the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal, who acted as a double agent for the United Kingdom.
