The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a Russian hacktivist group believed to be responsible for breaching water facilities in the United States.
The sanctioned group, known as the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), is accused of compromising industrial control systems that manage water treatment plants and other vital infrastructure. The Treasury Department alleges that a January incident causing overflowing water storage tanks in Texas counties is linked to CARR’s activity.
“CARR and its members’ efforts to target our critical infrastructure represent an unacceptable threat to our citizens and our communities, with potentially dangerous consequences,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States has and will continue to take action, using our full range of tools, to hold accountable these and other individuals for their malicious cyber activities.”
The sanctions freeze any assets CARR may have under US jurisdiction and prohibit US entities from doing business with the group. Additionally, individuals named on the sanctions list, including CARR’s leader Yuliya Vladimirovna Pankratova and “primary hacker” Denis Olegovich Degtyarenko, will face severe financial restrictions.
