{"id":56422,"date":"2024-06-27T14:34:46","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T14:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/36038\/WhisperGate-Suspect-Indicted-As-US-Offers-A-10-Million-Bounty.html"},"modified":"2024-06-27T14:34:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T14:34:46","slug":"whispergate-suspect-indicted-as-us-offers-a-10-million-bounty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/whispergate-suspect-indicted-as-us-offers-a-10-million-bounty\/","title":{"rendered":"WhisperGate Suspect Indicted As US Offers A $10 Million Bounty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US Department of Justice has indicted a 22-year-old Russian for allegedly attacking Ukrainian government computers and destroying critical infrastructure systems in the so-called \u201cWhisperGate\u201d wiper attack that preceded Russia’s illegal invasion of the European nation.<\/p>\n

If convicted, Amin Timovich Stigal faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. In addition to the indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in Maryland on Tuesday, the US State Department today offered a reward of up to $10 million<\/a> for information on Stigal’s location and alleged cyber crimes.<\/p>\n

“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Russian military intelligence on the eve of Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to launch cyber attacks targeting the Ukrainian government and later targeting its allies, including the United States,” US attorney general Merrick Garland declared in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"gru_stigal\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you can see this man, and get him to the authorities, then $10 million could be yours \u2013 Click to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Stigal and others first conspired with Russia’s GRU military intelligence unit on the cyber attacks in January 2022 \u2013 a month before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine \u2013 according to court documents.<\/p>\n

in that month, actors that Ukraine’s government alleged operated from Belarus deployed a strain of data-destroying malware<\/a>, later dubbed WhisperGate<\/a>, on “dozens” of Ukrainian targets. The attacks hit critical infrastructure networks including government agencies, military and defense, as well as in agriculture, education, science and emergency service organizations.<\/p>\n