Topline
The Department of Justice unsealed indictments Thursday against four Russian government employees in two separate cases who prosecutors allege engaged in a hacking campaign targeting energy companies and infrastructure worldwide between 2012 and 2018, causing a shutdown of a foreign refinery and compromising computers at a U.S. nuclear power plant, with the DOJ warning it exemplifies why the U.S. should be on guard as the Russian government reportedly continues to target U.S. infrastructure.
Key Facts
The Justice Department indicted Evgeny Gladkikh, an employee of a Russian Ministry of Defense research institute, in June 2021 for allegedly inserting malware into a foreign refinery’s safety system, causing two emergency shutdowns before attempting to do the same to U.S. refineries.
In a separate case, the Justice Department indicted three Russian Federal Security Service officers in August 2021 for allegedly seeking to gain persistent access to software controlling critical equipment at oil and gas producers, nuclear power plants, and utility and power transmission companies worldwide.
Prosecutors say the three men–Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov, and Marat Valeryevich Tyukov–conducted spearphishing attacks against 3,500 people at more than 500 companies and organizations, including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and compromised the business computer network of the company that operates the Wolf Creek nuclear plant in Kansas.
Crucial Quote
“Although the criminal charges unsealed today reflect past activity, they make crystal clear the urgent ongoing need for American businesses to harden their defenses and remain vigilant,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in a release Thursday.
Key Background
The four Russians are unlikely to ever face a trial, as Russia does not extradite its citizens to the U.S. Kremlin-linked hackers have been scanning U.S. energy companies in preparation for more potential cyber attacks, CNN reported Wednesday based on recent FBI advisories seen by the outlet. President Joe Biden on Monday warned of more potential cyber attacks by the Russian government based on “evolving intelligence.” In a release, Biden said Russia may attempt to hack critical infrastructure sectors as retaliation for the U.S.’s harsh sanctions imposed on the country as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine.
