Pro-Russia Hacktivist Support: Ukrainian Faces US Charges

Ukrainian Victoria Dubranova, 33, has been charged in the US for allegedly aiding pro-Russia hacktivist groups Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) and NoName057(16) in cyberattacks against critical infrastructure worldwide. She was extradited to the US and faces up to 27 years for involvement with CARR and five years for ties to NoName, having pleaded not guilty in both cases.

CARR, a pro-Russia hacktivist group linked to Russia’s GRU, targets critical infrastructure in the US, Ukraine and NATO allies, initially focusing on DDoS and website defacements before moving to industrial control and SCADA breaches that have caused real‑world disruptions in water and food facilities.

Pro-Russia hacktivist groups such as CARR, Z-Pentest and NoName057(16) are described as exploiting poorly secured VNC connections to access OT devices in critical infrastructure, with impacts ranging from water and energy sectors to other utilities, and their attacks are framed as less sophisticated and lower‑impact than those of APT groups.

According to FBI, CISA, National Security Agency (NSA) and partner countries, a joint advisory alongside U.S. and European actions highlights the ongoing threat to OT/ICS environments, with the U.S. State Department offering up to $2 million for information on CARR and up to $10 million for information on NoName.