U.S. Indictment Links Former Kaspersky Executive to “Void Blizzard” Hacking Campaign

U.S. prosecutors have charged Russian national Denis Obrezko with participation in a hacking group identified as “Void Blizzard” (also called “Laundry Bear”). The indictment alleges the group stole emails and other communications from NATO-aligned European government agencies and at least eleven U.S. companies beginning in 2023, acting on behalf of the Russian government. Obrezko, who pleaded not guilty in a Boston hearing, is also accused of serving as deputy director of the Russian cybersecurity firm Yutek-NN from 2024 onward, a company the indictment ties to the campaign.

The Jerusalem Post

Records reviewed by Reuters show Obrezko worked as a senior specialist at Kaspersky Lab between 2017 and 2019. Leaked salary documents and a former colleague confirm the tenure, though the firm could not confirm his current status. A VKontakte profile and leaked résumé list his specialization as information security and cite graduation from Moscow’s Bauman University, a technical school previously identified by European journalists as a training ground for Russian government hackers.

The Jerusalem Post

Kaspersky issued a statement that the employee “worked at the company between 2017-2019, and we have no information on the individual’s current status. The offenses charged cannot be related to the individual’s role or responsibilities during the employment at Kaspersky.” Yutek-NN declined repeated requests for comment, and the Russian Embassy in Washington has not responded to inquiries about the case.

The Jerusalem Post

Stefan Soesanto, a lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland, described the prosecution as “a vindication for all those that are already highly critical of Kaspersky.” He added that “the walls separating the cybersecurity industry from the intelligence community were porous, and that a revolving door between the two would not be unique to Kaspersky.” The case revives debate over the overlap between commercial cyber-security firms and state intelligence services.

The Jerusalem Post

• “An employee with the name specified worked at the company between 2017-2019, and we have no information on the individual’s current status. The offenses charged cannot be related to the individual’s role or responsibilities during the employment at Kaspersky.” — Kaspersky Lab statement

The Jerusalem Post

• “a vindication for all those that are already highly critical of Kaspersky.” — Stefan Soesanto, lecturer

The Jerusalem Post

• “Soesanto said that the walls separating the cybersecurity industry from the intelligence community were porous, and that a revolving door between the two would not be unique to Kaspersky.” — Stefan Soesanto

The Jerusalem Post

• “special technical means for the covert acquisition of information.” — Russian corporate record for Yutek-NN

The Jerusalem Post