A 22-year-old Russian man, Amin Timovich Stigal, has been charged with conspiring to hack and destroy computer systems and data in Ukraine and allied countries, including the United States. The U.S. Justice Department announced these charges on Wednesday and is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to Stigal’s capture or information on his malicious cyber activities.
A federal grand jury in Maryland returned an indictment against Stigal on Tuesday. The indictment accuses him of working with Russian military intelligence to launch cyberattacks on Ukrainian government systems before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. These early attacks targeted government systems in Kyiv that were not related to military operations.
After the invasion, Stigal and his associates expanded their targets to include computer systems in the United States and other countries that were providing support to Ukraine. These attacks aimed to disrupt the assistance being given to Ukraine by its allies.
Stigal is currently at large, and the U.S. State Department has issued a reward of up to $10 million for information that could help locate him or provide details about his cyber activities. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the seriousness of these allegations, stating that Stigal conspired with Russian military intelligence to carry out these cyberattacks on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In January 2022, Stigal and members of Russia’s intelligence service reportedly used a U.S.-based company to distribute malware called “WisperGate” to Ukrainian government computer systems. This malware was designed to destroy the systems and related data.
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Later, in August, the same group is said to have hacked into the transportation infrastructure of an unidentified central European country that was supporting Ukraine.
The hackers also attempted to access the computers of a federal government agency in Maryland, though the specific agency was not identified in the Justice Department’s statement.
The Justice Department’s announcement highlights the ongoing cyber threats posed by individuals working with Russian intelligence and underscores the international efforts to hold them accountable for their actions.
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