Behind EU-UK Sanctions Against Russia Over Cyber Attacks

As the country is at war with Ukraine, the Government said Russian intelligence agencies have increasingly relied on cyber criminal networks to gather intelligence and support military and foreign policy objectives.

Lumma Stealer and global cyber espionage

Powerful malware that extracts browser-saved credentials, cookies and autofill data, Lumma Stealer has been wreaking havoc, operating under a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) model.

The sanctions package targets the individuals behind Lumma Stealer, which has been used by cybercriminals to harvest credentials and sensitive data from compromised devices.

The UK Government revealed that Russia has used these stolen credentials to conduct cyber espionage operations against targets around the world in support of Kremlin objectives.

The UK’s National Crime Agency notes that at least 2,100 victims in the UK have been affected by Lumma Stealer during the past six months. 

The Russian disinformation network

The 24 people and entities that are now under sanctions include 10 individuals connected to Rybar LLC – a Russian state-backed media organisation accused of spreading false narratives about Ukraine and interfering in elections across Europe, including in Moldova and Armenia.

Those sanctioned include directors, senior management and content designers at Rybar.