Russian IT Guy Jailed for DDoSing Government Websites

According to reports from the FSB (Federal Security Service) Department’s Press Service in Rostov Region, Yevgeny Kotikov, an IT specialist, was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

FSB also ordered to pay a fine of 800 thousand rubles ($10,000) for his participation in a computer DDoS attack by Ukraine for blocking information resources in the Russian Federation.

The attack was organized by Ukraine and targeted the information systems belonging to the critical information infrastructure of the Russian Federation.

Kotikov was arrested in February 2022, during the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Kotikov was supporting the Kyiv regime, which decided to participate in blocking information resources of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Federation’s website for the president.

DDoS Attack On Government Websites

The FSB has also confiscated the personal computer used for the DDoS attacks.

This evidence was used to prove Kotikov guilty, resulting in a 3-year prison sentence to be served in a colony settlement, including the fine amount.

An independent security researcher, Oleg Shakirov, stated, “For instance, in February, a Russian national was sentenced under the same article for DDoS — but he got 3 years of suspended sentence, not a real sentence. The conflict with Ukraine was apparently an important factor that contributed to the severity of the sentence. The authorities would like to deter Russians from helping the Ukrainian cause, including in cyberspace.“

The Russia-Ukraine war has developed a lot of heat among the countries, resulting in many criminal activities targeting each other. Peace must prevail in these nations as soon as possible.

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