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U.S. Blames Russian GRU for Cyberattack on Georgia

Posted: February 26, 2020 to Compliance.

Tags: Data Breach, Compliance, HIPAA

State Department officials blamed the Russian military intelligence agency's (GRU) Main Center for Special Technology (GTsST), for cyberattacks targeting the country of Georgia this past October; attacks that not only impacted thousands of websites, but actually disrupted two Georgian networks.  This is the first time the US State Department openly linked the GTsST to Sandworm, which is a nefarious Russian black hat group. Over 15,000 customers were impacted by the large-scale attack, including the media and the government. One way they did this was by posting an image of  Mikheil Saakashvili, a former shamed President of Georgia, saying "I'll be back."  Saakashvili was indicted on corruption charges, and nobody was able to remove the image from their websites. Georgia and Russia have quite the checkered past.  Russia invaded Georgia over a decade ago and took over 20% of their territory; territory they still hold today.  They have also cyberattacked Georgia in the past and it doesn't appear they are done.

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Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

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