EU Imposes New Sanctions on Russian Hackers Following Numerous Cyberattacks

On Monday, June 24, the European Council imposed sanctions on six Russian hackers involved in cyberattacks against EU countries and Ukraine.

For the first time, sanctions are being applied to cybercriminal actors who conduct ransomware campaigns targeting critical services like healthcare and banking.

The European Council’s website states that these six people are involved in cyber-attacks affecting information systems relating to critical infrastructure, critical state functions, the storage or processing of classified information, and government emergency response teams in EU member states.

The latest additions feature two individuals from the “Callisto group”: Ruslan Peretyatko and Andrey Korinets. This group, composed of Russian military intelligence officers, is engaged in cyber operations targeting EU member states and third countries.

The EU has also imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Sklianko and Mykola Chernykh from the “Armageddon hacker group”. This group, reportedly backed by the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service (FSB), has conducted numerous cyber-attacks causing substantial disruptions to the governments of EU member states and Ukraine. Their methods include deploying phishing emails and malware campaigns to achieve their objectives.

Furthermore, Mikhail Tsarev and Maksim Galochkin, pivotal figures in the deployment of the malware strains 'Conti' and 'Trickbot' were sanctioned. Trickbot, a malicious spyware program, has been instrumental in ransomware campaigns across critical sectors including healthcare and banking, resulting in substantial economic harm within the European Union.

Recently, the US announced its decision to prohibit the sale of antivirus software from Russia’s Kaspersky Lab. This action stems from concerns that the company’s ties to Moscow pose significant risks, particularly due to its access to sensitive systems in American computers.