Russian hackers with military links charged after critical infrastructure attacks

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An investigation has found that malicious cyber attacks are likely to be part on an orchestrated GRU effort

Russian flag on a laptop
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US intelligence services have charged a group of five Russian hackers linked to Unit 29155 of Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU), as well as one civilian hacker working for the Russian Government. This puts the Russian military intelligence agency at the center of critical infrastructure attacks on NATO member states.

The five GRU members have been charged in connection with a series of attacks known as ‘Whisper Gate’ which were carried out in January of 2022. The operations targeted Ukraine’s government agencies and infrastructure, and are largely understood as a precursor to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The US State Department has offered a $10 million bounty for information on each of the six suspects through its Rewards for Justice program. The GRU is also reported to have targeted the computer systems of 26 other NATO countries which were providing support to Ukraine, a strategy we have seen deployed many times before.

First shot of the war

The attacks were countered by US cyber command and private cyber security firms like Microsoft and Google, and so were unsuccessful in bringing down satellite communications or crippling Ukrainian government operations as intended.

US officials said that the GRU members posed as criminal hackers by leaving ransom notes, but the attacks were designed to destroy any data acquired. According to the joint advisory, “Unit 29155 cyber actors' objectives appear to include the collection of information for espionage purposes, reputational harm caused by the theft and leakage of sensitive information, and systematic sabotage caused by the destruction of data”

Since none of the hackers are on US soil, it's unlikely they will face the consequences of the charges anytime soon, but the US have reportedly partnered with Interpol to “bring this indictment to fruition”.

Via BleepingComputer

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Ellen Jennings-Trace
Ellen Jennings-Trace
Staff Writer

Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.