Group-IB CEO was put under arrest on treason charges

Russian media reported that the police made searches in the Moscow office of security firm Group-IB apparently linked to an investigation into a criminal case.

The police made searches in the Moscow office of the threat intelligence firm Group-IB, according to the media local authorities are investigating a criminal case. According to RTVI, the police arrested Ilya Sachkov, CEO of Group-IB, on the morning of September 28.

RTVI correspondents went to the Group-IB office in Moscow on Wednesday night and reported that at the entrance to the building there was a passenger bus and a minivan with tinted windows. 

“A man in civilian clothes was dragging things from the office to the bus, and at the entrance in the building itself, the correspondents were met by two armed men in tactical clothes of the color of cartoons and masks on their faces. They told reporters that they would not be allowed inside and would not comment on what was happening in the office.” reported RTVI.

“Journalists? Sorry, but we won’t let you inside, ”one of them explained politely. “They’re shooting a movie. Come in the morning. “

According to Bloomberg, Ilya Sachkov, was put under arrest on treason charges for two months until Nov. 27.

“The founder of the Group-IB cybersecurity company, Ilya Sachkov, was put under arrest on treason charges for two months until Nov. 27, Anastasia Romanova, spokeperson for the Lefortovo court in Moscow said by telephone.” reported Bloomberg. “The company’s Moscow office was searched Sept. 28, but the reason for the raid wasn’t clear, Group-IB said in a website statement. The press service didn’t respond to phone calls about the reported arrest.”

Group-IB’s global operations were not interrupted, and are continuing at the Singapore headquarter.

“The decentralized infrastructure of Group-IB allows us to keep our customer’s data safe, maintain business operations and work without interruption across our offices in Russia and around the world,” said the company.

Group-IB and Sachkov always supported international investigation and initiatives of international police against cybercrime. He is one of the independent commissioners of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace.

Ilya Sachkov also participates in expert committees at the State Duma, Foreign Ministry, Council of Europe and OSCE as experts in cybercrime. 

According to the Russian media, the Group-IB CEO met President Vladimir Putin three times and participated in meetings of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with IT representatives.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, cybercrime)

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