Spain arrests suspected member of pro-Russian hacktivist groups

Spain's National Police have arrested a man who is suspected of being an active member of the CyberArmy of Russia Reborn (CARR) and Z-Pentest, both pro-Russian hacktivist groups.

Although hacktivism typically refers to cyberattacks intended to promote a political or ideological message rather than cause widespread damage, the two groups have been linked to multiple attacks targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. and Europe.

A recent indictment of another alleged CARR member, Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, revealed that the hacking group carried out cyberattacks against water and food-processing facilities, creating real safety risks for people in the U.S.

The U.S. government has previously sanctioned two more alleged members of the group, Yuliya Vladimirovna Pankratova and Denis Olegovich Degtyarenko, who were linked to attacks against the SCADA systems of an American energy firm.

CARR has also been loosely linked to the Russian state-backed threat group APT44, aka “Sandworm,” which is known for masking their activities behind hacktivist collectives.