How the war in Ukraine has strengthened the Kremlin’s ties with cybercriminals

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, its law enforcement agencies carried out a series of arrests targeting prominent hacking groups and darknet forums including REvil, SkyFraud, Ferum Shop and Trump’s Dumps.

The crackdowns were touted as a demonstration of Russia’s willingness to fight cybercrime and cooperate with foreign states in their investigations against Russia-linked hackers. But according to new research, Russian intelligence, military, and law enforcement services have tapped into “established and systematic relationships” with hacking groups since its …

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