Baltimore, Sep 5 (AP) The US Justice Department has widened its indictment of Russians in the so-called WhisperGate' malware attack aimed at destroying computer systems in Ukraine and 26 NATO allies including the United States.

A superseding indictment announced Thursday adds five Russian military intelligence officers as defendants. A previous indictment named a Russian civilian, Amin Timovich Stigal.

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One federal official said the “WhisperGate” malware attack in January 2022 could be considered the first shot in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The cyberattacks penetrated US companies as well. Combined, the US government is offering a USD 60 million reward for help leading to the defendants' arrests.

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William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office, said “this type of cyber warfare will not be tolerated. The scope of Russia's crimes cannot be ignored.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)