US charges six Russian military officers in connection with large-scale cyber attacks
On October 19, the US Department of Justice announced an indictment, charging six current and former Russian military officers.
The indictment accuses the defendants of launching cyberattacks targeting the 2017 French election; the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea; and U.S. hospitals and businesses.
The officers are believed to be members of Russia's military intelligence agency, commonly known as the GRU, which is involved in attacks that US prosecutors say were aimed at advancing Russia's geopolitical interests.
Russian military officers are also accused of launching a large-scale cyber attack that infected computers of many companies around the world with malicious viruses, causing financial losses of up to nearly 1 billion USD.
Some notable attacks include targeting Ukraine’s power grid; a cyberattack and leak campaign targeting French President Emmanuel Macron’s party days before the 2017 election; efforts to punish organizers who banned Russian athletes accused of doping from the Pyeongchang Olympics; obstruction of the investigation into the alleged nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter; and attacks on Georgian media and the Parliament.
The indictment does not charge the defendants with interfering in the 2016 US election. However, one of the six is among the Russian military intelligence officers who have been charged with cyberattacks targeting Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.
Speaking at a press conference, US Assistant Attorney General John Gion Demers said that, 6Russian military intelligence officerThis was responsible for “the greatest damage ever”.
The 50-page indictment was filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. None of the suspects have been arrested by the US government and there is little hope that any will be arrested./.
