One year ago, Russia began a conflict against Ukraine that has seen countless casualties and a battle in cyberspace. The US has responded with a series of sanctions against those allegedly helping the Kremlin, including its cyber operations. On Friday, the US Department of the Treasury announced a new set of sanctions against 22 individuals and 83 entities.
The sanctioned entities have been providing Russia with material or technical support in the war, or helping it evade previously imposed sanctions. Among them are Russian banks, individuals and entities in the financial sector, arms dealers, organizations helping Russia procure technology and equipment, organizations in the aerospace sector, and more than 20 individuals and entities operating in Russia’s technology and electronics sectors.
The Treasury Department said it had also sanctioned 0Day Technologies for providing the personally identifiable information of Western citizens to Russian intelligence, and Novilab Mobile for working on mobile device monitoring technologies. Forward Systems and R&DC were sanctioned for providing software and algorithms to the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) for offensive cyber operations, while ZAO Akuta was sanctioned for providing programming services to GRU.
Lavina Puls, Inforus, and Andrey Igorevich Masalovich, who leads the two companies, were also sanctioned for supporting GRU’s malign influence operations and for selling internet monitoring and influence technology. This announcement follows a similar set of sanctions against seven Russians accused of running the Trickbot cybercrime operation.
The US is sending a clear message that it will not tolerate the use of malicious cyber operations for political purposes. As a result of the sanctions, entities that have been aiding and abetting Russia’s cyber operations will face severe financial and other consequences.
Key Points:
• On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the US Department of the Treasury announced a new set of sanctions against tens of entities that are allegedly helping the Kremlin, including its cyber operations.
• The sanctioned entities have been providing Russia with material or technical support in the war, or helping it evade previously imposed sanctions.
• Sanctions were imposed on 0Day Technologies, Novilab Mobile, Forward Systems, R&DC, ZAO Akuta, Lavina Puls, Inforus and Andrey Igorevich Masalovich.
• The US is sending a clear message that it will not tolerate the use of malicious cyber operations for political purposes.