Russian court remands hackers in custody

A Moscow court on Saturday remanded eight hackers in custody for two months as Russia cracks down on the REvil cybercrime group at Washington’s request.

Eight members of the prominent hacking group REvil were ordered by Moscow’s Tverskoi district court to remain in custody until mid-March, the court said.

They could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

On Friday, Russia said it had dismantled the hacking group REvil, which carried out a high-profile attack last year on US software firm Kaseya, following a request from Washington.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had “suppressed the illegal activities” of members of the group during raids on 25 addresses that swept up 14 people.

Cybersecurity was one of the main issues on the agenda of a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden last year.

The FSB said members of the group had “developed malware and organised the embezzlement of funds from the bank accounts of foreign citizens”.