4 Russian government agents indicted for hacking global energy facilities between 2012 and 2018

The indictments refer to activity from years ago but highlight Russia’s ability to hack critical infrastructure at a time when US officials are on high alert about Russian cyberattacks and as President Joe Biden. meet European allies about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Biden on Monday publicly warned US business executives of having ties to the Kremlin Hackers can target American organizations such as the Russian military continued to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine. The FBI also advise Last week, the private sector hackers linked to Russian internet addresses scanned the networks of five US energy companies in a possible prelude to hacking attempts. No compromises are known from that recent activity.

In an unsealed indictment on Thursday, three officers at Russia’s FSB intelligence agency allegedly broke into energy companies, including some in the US, since 2012. through 2017 “continues the Russian government’s efforts to maintain stealthy access” to organizations in the energy sector, the Justice Department said. US officials have expressed concern that Russian agents could use that kind of approach to disrupt critical American infrastructure companies if Moscow had an incentive.

In another indictment, an employee of a Russian Defense Ministry research institute allegedly helped break into a petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia in 2017 and caused it to close twice. That hack caused alarm in the cybersecurity industry at the time because the malicious code used in the incident targeted fire safety systems in power plants.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

All four men indicted are believed to be in Russia.

“In these two cases, we determined that the benefits of disclosing the results of an investigation now outweigh the potential for future arrest,” a senior Justice Department official said. “These charges show the dark art of possibility when it comes to critical infrastructure.”

The three FSB officers are accused of being part of an attack group that targeted various energy companies in the US and abroad between 2012 and 2017, including the computer network of a corporation that operates a power plant. in Kansas.

Joe Slowik, a senior manager at cybersecurity firm Gigamon, told CNN: “Although this (hack) group is not linked to any known malicious events, today’s indictment and Previous research shows how widely this group works to breach critical systems around the globe.” “Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this operation has become especially seen as a potential prop for future destructive events.”

Prior to the 2020 US election, the hacking group breached a number of state and local government organizations, but this activity did not affect voting in any way.

The other Russian hacking group mentioned in the news on Thursday, related to the 2017 closure of the facility in Saudi Arabia, then attempted to hack a US company’s computer.” manage similar critical infrastructure in the United States,” the Justice Department said in a press release. The senior Justice Department official told reporters on Thursday that the hacking attempt was unsuccessful.

U.S. officials have briefed U.S. energy and financial firms, among others, about Russian hacking capabilities in recent months, and many large companies have invested heavily. into the field of cyber defense in recent years.

This story has been updated with additional details and background.