Trump Admin Thwarts Foreign ‘Hacktivist’ Plot To Sabotage America’s Critical Water Infrastructure

A Ukrainian national has been charged for collaborating with two Russia-linked criminal groups responsible for carrying cyberattacks worldwide and against the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced late Tuesday.

The EPA, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced Tuesday that indictments against Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova were unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The Ukrainian national was indicted with one count of “conspiracy to damage protected computers and tamper with public water systems,” according to the EPA.

“The defendant’s illegal actions to tamper with the nation’s public water systems put communities and the nation’s drinking water resources at risk,” EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Craig Pritzlaff said in a statement. “These criminal charges serve as an unequivocal warning to malicious cyber actors in the U.S. and abroad: EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate threats to our nation’s water infrastructure and will pursue justice against those who endanger the American public. EPA is unwavering in its commitment to clean, safe water for all Americans.”

The EPA released resources on helping protect American water systems from cyberthreats on Oct. 23, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has listed access to clean and safe water for every American as a major pillar of his agency.

Dubranova was extradited to America earlier this year for her actions supporting the CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR) and was arraigned on a second indictment for her collaboration with the Russian-linked hacking group known as “NoName,” though she pleaded not guilty, according to the EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ).