United States prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian national for her role in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure worldwide, including U.S. water systems, election systems and nuclear facilities. The hacker allegedly worked on behalf of Russian state-sponsored hacktivist groups.
On Tuesday, 33-year-old Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova (also known as Vika, Tory, and SovaSonya) was charged for her alleged role in the NoName057(16) group, after being extradited to the US earlier this year for her support of CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR).
See also: Four threat groups exploit CastleLoader
Dubranova has pleaded not guilty to both charges and is scheduled to go on trial in February (on the NoName charge) and April 2026 (on the CARR charge).
As the indictment, NoName057(16) was a project run in part by multiple threat actors, as well as The Center for the Study and Network Monitoring of the Youth Environment (CISM), an IT organization established by order of the Russian president in October 2018.
The Russian hacker group NoName developed a custom DDoS tool, called DDoSia, and recruited global volunteers to launch attacks against government agencies, financial institutions, and critical infrastructure, including railways and ports.
US prosecutors also noted that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) founded, funded and directed CARR, a pro-Russian hacker group with over 75,000 followers on Telegram and more than 100 members (including teenagers). The group claimed responsibility for hundreds of cyberattacks against victims worldwide.
See also: Spain: 19-year-old hacker arrested for data theft
CARR attacked public drinking water systems in several U.S. states, damaging industrial controls and spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of drinking water. It also breached the systems of a meat processing plant in Los Angeles in November 2024, causing an ammonia leak and destroying thousands of pounds of meat, according to the indictment. The group also targeted websites of U.S. nuclear regulators and electoral infrastructure . A GRU officer using the alias “ Cyber_1ce_Killer ” instructed CARR’s leadership and funded the group’s access to denial-of-service-for-hire services.
What will happen to the Ukrainian hacker?
If convicted, Dubranova faces up to 27 years in prison on the CARR charges and up to 5 years on the NoName charges.
See also: Storm-0249: Escalating ransomware attacks with ClickFix and DLL Sideloading
“The defendant’s unlawful actions at risk communities and the nation’s drinking water resources,” said Craig Pritzlaff, Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Yesterday, the U.S. State Department also announced rewards of up to $2 million for information about individuals associated with CARR and up to $10 million for any details about individuals associated with NoName.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
