The United States and Britain on Thursday announced sanctions on the Russian intelligence-linked Trickbot group known for hacking hospitals and stealing financial data during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The US Treasury said the Trickbot group launched cyberattacks on businesses and criminals from Moscow in 2014 using the so-called Trojan horse virus of the same name.
According to a statement from the US Treasury, the Trickbot virus has since infected millions of computers worldwide and evolved into a ransomware tool that can be used until they pay to free it. Used to extort businesses by locking out their data.
The Treasury said that during the COVID pandemic, “members of the Trickbot group publicly expressed delight at the ease with which medical facilities were targeted and the speed with which the ransom was paid.”
The sanctions announcement named seven members of the group, some of whom “are linked to Russian intelligence services,” it said.
In a parallel action, a US federal court in New Jersey quashed an 11-year-old indictment of one of the group’s leaders, Vitaly Kovalev.
The indictment, kept secret since 2012, accused Kovalev of working with Russians living in the United States to illegally access and steal tens of thousands of dollars from private accounts in several American banks and then flee the country. transfer money out.
The sanctions, implemented in parallel by US and British authorities, seek to freeze any assets designated as being under US and British jurisdiction and prevent the countries’ citizens and entities from doing business with them.
In a statement, the British government called the sanctions “the first wave of new coordinated action against international cybercrime”.
Graeme Biggar, director general of the British National Crime Agency, said: “The sanctions are the first of their kind for the UK and signal the continuation of a campaign targeting those responsible for some of the most sophisticated and harmful ransomware affecting the UK and our allies. Let’s give.” a statement.
PMH / Kav
