European authorities dismantle pro-Russian hacking group

EU anti-crime agencies Europol and Eurojust announced on July 16 they had led the dismantling of a pro-Russian cybercrime network responsible for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe.

The cyber-network, known as NoName057(16), was allegedly dismantled after authorities conducted 24 raids in 12 countries between July 14 and 17, Europol said. The investigation led to two arrests, with one being carried out in France and another in Spain.

Authorities also issued seven arrest warrants, targeting six individuals in Russia, including two arrest warrants for individuals identified as central figures in the criminal network.

"The actions led to the disruption of an attack-infrastructure consisting of over one hundred computer systems worldwide, while a major part of the group's central server infrastructure was taken offline," Europol announced in a statement.

Authorities allege that the hacking group, which is mainly Russian-speaking and ideologically aligned with Moscow, carried out 73 denial-of-service (DDos) attack per day, on average, first primarily targeting Ukraine, later shifting focus to attack Kyiv's European and NATO allies.

France24 reported that the cyber group had been responsible for critical infrastructure attacks, including on Europe's electricity suppliers and public transport systems.

Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States participated directly in the investigation, with the support of a number of other countries, including Ukraine.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale war in February 2022, Russia and its proxies have launched thousands of cyberattacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, including power grids, telecom networks, the financial system, in an attempt to disrupt the country's abilities to sustain its defenses.

In addition to coordinating cyberattacks against Ukraine, the Kremlin continues to target Ukraine's Western allies as it attempts to disrupt military supplies for the embattled country and damage Western resolve.