Pro-Russian Hacktivist Group XakNet Has Ties to Kremlin, Coordinates Efforts With Killnet

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Researchers at Mandiant say that XakNet, a pro-Russian “hacktivist” group that targeted Ukraine and its allies, may be tied to the Kremlin. U.S. officials say the group has been active since March, claiming credit for several cyber incidents targeting Ukraine, including the defacement of a news ticker during a live March broadcast on Ukraine 24 TV, which falsely reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky surrendered to the Russians, and the defacement of a Ukrainian bank website.

Mandiant says that Russian intelligence operatives were likely behind a recent breach of an unnamed organization, resulting in data theft. Information stolen in that breach wound up in the hands of  XakNet. Mandiant believes XakNet and a similar group, known as Killnet, have directly coordinated some of their activity, although it’s …