The US government imposed sanctions a few days ago on 28 cryptocurrency addresses, which are allegedly associated with entities or individuals linked to Russian cybercrimes, such as cyberattacks or election interference.
The US government announced these sanctions with an executive order from President Joe Biden, who officially announced that the Russian intelligence agency – SVR – and the hacking group associated with it (known as APT29 , The Dukes, or Cozy Bear), were behind the recent SolarWinds hack
Read also: Kremlin: How is it a "safe haven" for ransomware criminals?
The US government also said that the cyber disinformation campaigns and election interference were carried out by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), which were assisted by six Russian companies that have been sanctioned.
A press release from the US Treasury Department says that a Pakistani company known as “Second Eye Solution” (SES) provided “fraudulent” identities to the Internet Research Agency (IRA) to help its members evade US sanctions.
The US government had announced sanctions on the Internet Research Agency (IRA) in 2018, accusing it of spreading disinformation and conspiracy theorieswith the aim of influencing the 2016 US presidential election.
See also: US: Officially accuses SVR of SolarWinds hack – Sanctions and expulsion of Russian diplomats
According to the US, SES received over $2.5 million in cryptocurrency for these services between 2013 and 2021.Specifically, the US Treasury Department stated in a press release: “SES’s known cryptocurrency addresses have received over $2.5 million in cryptocurrency for more than 26,900 transactions from 2013 to March 2021.”
Suggestion: Bitcoin: hit its highest price yet at $62,000
For these activities, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on 28 cryptocurrency addresses associated with these entities or individuals.
The addresses pertain to a wide range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Etherium, Verge, Zcash and Dash.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
