The US announces sanctions against Russian individuals and companies tied to worldwide hacking

According to Reuters, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that it imposed sanctions on three Russians individuals and five companies, saying that they had cooperated with Moscow’s military and intelligence agencies to conduct cyber attacks against the United States and its allies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said in a statement: “The United States is engaged in an ongoing effort to counter malicious actors working at the behest of the Russian Federation and its military and intelligence units to increase Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities.”

Mnuchin said: “The entities designated today have directly contributed to improving Russia’s cyber and underwater capabilities through their work with the FSB and therefore jeopardise the safety and security of the United States and our allies.”

The Russian side did not immediately comment on the new sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department stated that Russia’s “malign and destabilizing cyber activities” included the NotPetya attacks that occurred last year, which spread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In February, the White House accused Russia of launching the attack, saying it caused billions of dollars in losses. The US Treasury Department announced that these attacks also included attacks on the U.S. energy network and Internet routers and switches.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury pointed out: “Today’s action also targets the Russian government’s underwater capabilities,” it said. “Russia has been active in tracking undersea communication cables, which carry the bulk of the world’s telecommunications data.” Sanctioned entities include Digital Security, ERPScan, Embedi, Kvant Scientific Research Institute, and Divetechnoservices.