BALTIMORE (AP) 鈥� The U.S. Justice Department has widened its indictment of Russians in the so-called 鈥榃hisperGate鈥� malware attack aimed at destroying computer systems in Ukraine and 26 NATO allies including the United States.
A superseding indictment announced Thursday adds five Russian military intelligence officers as defendants. A previous indictment named a Russian civilian, Amin Timovich Stigal.
One federal official said the 鈥淲hisperGate鈥� malware attack in January 2022 could be considered the first shot in Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine. The cyberattacks penetrated U.S. companies as well. Combined, the U.S. government is offering a $60 million reward for help leading to the defendants鈥� arrests.
William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI鈥檚 Baltimore field office, said 鈥渢his type of cyber warfare will not be tolerated. The scope of Russia鈥檚 crimes cannot be ignored.鈥�
Brian Witte, The Associated Press
