Russia sends warning to cyber security sector with arrest of Ilya Sachkov
lya Sachkov did not hold back, even though Russia’s prime minister was watching him on a panel starring the heads of the country’s top tech companies.
The co-founder of Group-IB, which specialises in investigating cyber crimes such as hacking and online fraud, poured scorn on the Kremlin for turning a blind eye to the epidemic of ransomware attacks emanating from Russia.
“No Russian state organ . . . is responding to this at all . . . believe me, this affects the image of Russian companies that export information security,” Sachkov said. “What’s going on in the country if the whole world is telling you there’s criminality?” In his speech, he pointed to Maksim Yakubets, the head of the Evil Corp hacking group, who the US has accused of masterminding a decade-long crime spree that has cost banks hundreds of millions of dollars.
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“In cyber security, you can have access to very sensitive data. And the Kremlin clearly considers it a key strategic sector,” said Julien Nocetti, an associate fellow at the French Institute of International Relations.“The message is: don’t speak up about it, don’t internationalise it without FSB prior approval and, especially, localise your clients’ data on Russian soil.”
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