The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics in Moscow, an institute of the State Research Centre of the Russian Federation, over a hacking programme that targets industrial control systems.
The malware, named Triton (as well as Trisis and HatMan), was used in a cyberattack on a petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia in 2017. This could place the lives of workers in danger.
It caused losses of millions of dollars in forfeited production, but did not result in any deaths. An error in its coding prevented it from having its full intended effect. Instead, it tripped the plant’s system.
In terms of the sanctions, Americans may not do business with the lab, and any assets it holds in America are frozen.
It is believed that the lab is linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin commented: ‘The Russian Government continues to engage in dangerous cyber activities aimed at the United States and our allies. This Administration will continue to aggressively defend the critical infrastructure of the United States from anyone attempting to disrupt it.’
[Picture: Pete Linforth from Pixabay]