A Russian hacker group responsible for a series of DDoS attacks that targets both US and Ukrainian infrastructure with their attacks recently declared itself to be a private military organization.
Previously, the group, called Killnet, offered its services for about $1,350 per month and has frequently targeted the healthcare sector and airline industries with aggressive DDoS attacks. In a recent Telegram post, however, Killnet increased the scope of its operation by declaring itself as a Private Military Hacker Company (PMHC).
“Altruism — Killnet’s hacktivism has come to an end… From now on, we: Russian private military hacker company Killnet,” they said on Telegram. “We continue our destructive activities for the glory of the fatherland! You can’t live on donations and promised help from sponsors.”
This comes after Killnet stepped up the scale of its attacks, allegedly leaking stolen information that contained the information of thousands of individuals in NATO. It also recently teamed up with another hacker group to target Australian infrastructure.
Now, while being a PHMC may not be official yet, some experts believe their declaration is a way to build a reputation with Kremlin forces while making more money (the end goal of hacker groups) — it means they’ll begin seeking employment with private sectors of the Russian government, reaping rewards while most likely being used to target more critical infrastructure.
In more recent Telegram posts, it gave an AMA on the subject, detailing its plans to reorganize and restructure the business, including the creation of 4 different “divisions of specialists,” that range from hackers to allegedly former colonels from multiple countries.
The AMA provided very little real information about their organization or goals and is instead filled with pro-Russian nationalist messages.
“We will continue our destructive activities for the glory of the fatherland! However, you can’t live on donations and promised help from sponsors. We will defend the interests of the Russian Federation, but now we are taking orders from private and state persons,” Killmilk, their old leader, said.