Russia Arrests Cybersecurity Exec in Treason Case
Russian security forces arrest the chairman of one of Russia's leading cybersecurity firms, Group-IB, on charges of treason.
-
Group-IB Director and Co-founder, Ilya Sachkov
A Russian court announced today, on Wednesday, that authorities have arrested Ilya Sachkov, the chairman and co-founder of the leading cybersecurity firm Group-IB, on suspicion of high treason, adding that he will remain in custody for two months.
Sachkov "does not admit the guilt of high treason, which inflicted reputational and national harm to Russia’s interests, or that he cooperated with intelligence services of foreign states," a source in security agencies told Russia's TASS news agency.
Law enforcement raided Group-IB's Moscow office on Tuesday, with the company's press service noting that it had no information regarding the reason for the investigation, adding that all of its services are still operating normally and that client data security was ensured by the company's geographically distributed infrastructure.
The cybersecurity company investigates high-tech crimes and online fraud. It also has an international client base that includes banks, energy, and telecommunication companies, as well as Interpol.
In Russia, high treason carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail, while details of these cases are very rarely revealed because the cases are marked "classified."