“Not Advanced Cyber Masterminds”: DOJ Indicts Five Russian GRU Officers and a Civilian for Hacks Into Ukrainian Critical Infrastructure and US Federal Systems
Today, in the US District of Maryland, the US Department of Justice announced that they have indicted five GRU officers and a civilian for “conspiring to hack [the] Ukrainian Government.”
In an unsealed indictment, the five officers and civilian, who were living in Russia and allegedly working for Unit 29155 of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), were charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and wire fraud conspiracy. The civilian individual charged was already under indictment for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, but now has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy as well.
The alleged hacks took place prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and were meant to “sow concern among Ukrainian citizens regarding the safety of their government systems and personal data.” The systems included Ukrainian government systems and data unrelated to the military or defense.
