FSB supported hacker group that targeted NATO member states
A Russian cybercriminal group hacked several NATO member countries, including their intelligence agencies, with the aim of obtaining valuable information and protecting wanted Russian spies.
The UK’s National Crime Agency revealed that the group, Evil Corp, had unusually close ties to the Russian government.
"Evil Corp held a privileged position, and the relationship between the Russian state and this cybercriminal group went far beyond the typical state-criminal relationship of protection, payoffs and racketeering," the agency said in a briefing.
Operating out of multiple locations in Moscow, including cafés, the group reportedly hacked several NATO nations prior to 2019. However, the organization was hit with sanctions, and some of its members were prosecuted by the U.S. in 2019.
The UK’s National Crime Agency also revealed that Eduard Benderskiy, the stepfather of Evil Corp’s leader Maksim Yakubets, was a former senior official in the Russian intelligence services (FSB). He used his connections to shield the group from U.S. legal action.
"Benderskiy used his extensive influence to protect the group, both by providing senior members with security and by ensuring they were not pursued by internal Russian authorities," the agency explained.
(QG - Source : The Guardian / Picture: © Unsplash)