Great Britain and the USA are Imposing Sanctions Against Russian Cybercriminals

Assets of eleven members of the Russian cybercriminal group that attacked hospitals and other critical infrastructure objects have been frozen. Hackers are also banned from entering Great Britain and the USA. 

This was reported on the official website of the British government.

"These actions were taken in coordination with the USA, where these key cybercriminals were also sanctioned, and are a continuation of the joint efforts of Great Britain and the USA aimed at undermining the activities of cybercriminals who cause significant harm and imposing fines on them. According to estimates, the sanctions have limited the ability of cyber threat actors to monetize their cybercriminal activities",- the statement said.

The sanctions list includes administrators, managers, developers, and programmers responsible for such ransomware as "Trickbot" and "Conti."

According to the US Department of the Treasury, the Trickbot group has ties to Russian intelligence agencies and attacked US government institutions, as well as companies, critical infrastructure facilities, and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the National Crime Agency (NCA), which conducted its own investigation into the sub-sanctioned individuals, believes that Russian cybercriminals are responsible for extorting at least $180 million from victims worldwide and £27 million from 149 victims in Great Britain. The main targets of the attackers were British hospitals, schools, local authorities, and businesses.

In addition, the hacker organization also threatened those who publicly opposed Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

In total, the list of wanted individuals includes 11 Russian cybercriminals: Andrey Zhuykov, Maksim Galochkin, Maksim Rudenskiy, Mikhail Tsarev, Dmitry Putilin, Maksim Khaliullin, Sergey Loguntsov, Alexander Mozhaev, Vadym Valiakhmetov, Artem Kurov, Mikhail Chernov.

Individuals who interact with sub-sanctioned cybercriminals on the list may also be subject to restrictions in the USA and Great Britain.

"By exposing their identities, we disrupt their business models and complicate their attempts to attack our people, our businesses, and our institutions. These individuals, all Russian citizens, operated beyond the reach of traditional law enforcement and hid behind pseudonyms and nicknames on the internet - many of which are now revealed",- said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

It is worth noting that in February of this year, Great Britain and the USA already imposed sanctions against seven members of this same Russian criminal group.

"Cybercriminals, especially those based in Russia, seek to attack critical infrastructure, target American businesses, and exploit the international financial system. Today, the United States is taking action in partnership with Great Britain, as international cooperation is a key factor in countering Russian cybercrime",- said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.

Recently, the USA, together with Great Britain, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Romania, and France, conducted a joint operation to eliminate the Qakbot hacker network, which cybercriminals used for financial crimes. According to cybersecurity experts, the network originates from the Russian Federation.

Russian cybercriminals have become particularly active since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, European countries opposed to the Kremlin's bloody war have been regularly subjected to cyberattacks, including Switzerland, Lithuania, and Great Britain.