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A group of Russian cybercriminals has hacked into several NATO member countries, including their intelligence agencies, in an attempt to glean valuable information and protect wanted Russian spies.
The UK’s National Crime Agency has revealed that the group Evil Corp has suspiciously close ties to the Russian government.
“Evil Corp occupied a privileged position and the relationship between the Russian state and this cybercriminal group went well beyond the typical state-criminal relationship of protection, bribery and racketeering,” the agency said in a briefing.
The group, which operated from multiple locations in Moscow including cafes, is believed to have hacked several member nations of the military organization before 2019. However, the entity was hit by sanctions and some of its members were tried by the United States in 2019.
The UK’s National Crime Agency has revealed that Eduard Benderskiy, the father-in-law of Evil Corp boss Maksim Yakubets, was a former senior official in Russia’s secret service (FSB) and used his connections to shield the group from US prosecution.
“Benderskiy used his considerable influence to protect the group, both by ensuring the safety of leading members and by ensuring that they were not prosecuted by internal Russian authorities,” the agency said.
