Russian citizen charged for conducting cyber attacks on Ukraine

A 22 year old Russian citizen charged, by the United States for his purported involvement in organizing harmful cyber strikes aimed at Ukraine and its associated nations prior to when Russia’s extensive military invasion took place during early 2022.

The accused, Russian citizen charged, Amin Timovich Stigal, is suspected of having ties to the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces (GRU) and is currently evading authorities. Should he be found guilty, he could potentially receive a maximum prison sentence lasting five years.

Simultaneous with the proceedings, information leading to his location or involvement in malicious cyber attacks could earn up to $10 million through the Rewards for Justice initiative by the U.S. Department of State.

According to a statement by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the accused colluded with Russian military intelligence just before Russia’s wrongful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in order to carry out cyber attacks aimed at both the Ukrainian government as well as its allies – including the United States.

WhisperGate (aka PAYWIPE)

In mid-January 2022, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and IT firms in Ukraine were targeted by intrusions using a wiper malware known as WhisperGate (also referred to as PAYWIPE).

Microsoft reported that the malware presents as ransomware, but once initiated by the attacker, it would bring about a non-operational state for the targeted computer system. The tech giant is keeping tabs on this group of cyber threats known under two names – Cadet Blizzard and Ruinous Ursa – both themed around weather phenomena.

As per the court records, it has been alleged that Stigal and others utilized services of a company based in the U.S., which remained anonymous, to disseminate WhisperGate and move out confidential information such as medical reports of patients.

Furthermore, they vandalized the online platforms and displayed the pilfered data for purchase on cybercrime forums with an apparent intention of instilling anxiety among the wider Ukrainian populace regarding the security of government systems and information.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has revealed that between August 5th, 2021 and February 3rd, 2022, the group behind attacks on Ukraine utilized identical computer infrastructure to carry out similar probes on a federal government agency in Maryland.

man from Florida has been found guilty of carrying out forceful home invasions with the intention to steal cryptocurrency.

A day following the announcement of Remy St Felix’s conviction for forcefully breaking into houses, kidnapping and assaulting individuals, as well as stealing cryptocurrency; he is a 24-year-old man from Florida who was arrested in July 2023.

According to the agency, individuals who fell prey to St Felix’s home invasions were abducted at their own abodes and coerced into accessing and emptying out their cryptocurrency accounts. To accomplish these crimes, St Felix alongside his accomplices unlawfully entered victims’ email accounts while also performing surveillance on them beforehand in preparation for executing the robberies.

The DoJ highlighted an incident wherein St Felix and a collaborator attacked, restrained with zip-ties, and threatened the life of a victim along with their spouse using firearms. Meanwhile, other accomplices covertly transferred over $150k worth of cryptocurrency from the victim’s Coinbase account via AnyDesk remote desktop software. This ruthless event occurred in North Carolina during April 2023.

The defendants utilized encrypted messaging apps to devise their schemes as they laundered the stolen digital assets via Monero and decentralized finance platforms that failed to comply with KYC checks, thereby concealing all traces.

St Felix, found guilty on nine charges including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud and displaying a firearm may face imprisonment ranging from seven years to lifetime. His sentence is scheduled for September 11th of the year 2024.