United States sanctions six Russian companies for aiding Russia’s cyber-attacks against the US

The Biden administration issued sanctions against six Russian technology companies for helping Russia carry out malicious cyber activities, including the SolarWinds hack, by providing expertise, developing tools and infrastructure, and facilitating malicious cyberattacks on behalf of Russian Intelligence Services.

The private and state-owned companies were accused Thursday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury of enabling the Russian Intelligence Services’ cyber activities. The six companies support the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Main Intelligence Directive (GRU) and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) by providing expertise, developing tools and infrastructure, and facilitating malicious cyberattacks.

“The U.S. Department of the Treasury is announcing sanctions against companies that support the malign activities of the Russian intelligence services responsible for the SolarWinds intrusion and other recent cyber incidents,” Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, said in a press statement Thursday. “These sanctions will serve to reduce Russian resources available to carry out similar malign activities.”

The six Russian tech companies sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department are Positive Technologies; AST; Neobit, Pasit; SVA, and ERA Technopolis.

“We will continue to hold Russia accountable for its malicious cyber activities, such as the SolarWinds incident, by using all available policy and authorities,” the White House wrote in a statement Thursday.

Source: CNN

Read More: The US gears up to launch a counter-attack in response to Russian hacking of SolarWinds.