From Cybercrime Saul Goodman to the Russian GRU
Summary: A 2021 hack of the Russian cybercrime forum Mazafaka leaked a user database showing that one of its founders, who posted as "Djamix" and advised members on the legal risks of their work, was tied through domain, phone, Facebook and ICQ records to Aleksei Valerievich Safronov of Sochi. Safronov's Facebook photos show him in military fatigues with a Spetsnaz GRU patch, and he authored a 2018 treatise titled "One Hundred Years of GRU Military Intelligence."
Key Takeaway: The forum's own members credited Djamix with keeping Mazafaka alive, and a former DOJ cybercrime prosecutor quoted here said the GRU has long recruited hackers who had problems with the law - a reminder that the lawyer advising your adversary's underground may also be the officer running it.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
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