Russian Hacker in the U.S. Charged with Damaging Critical Infrastructure in Several Countries, Including Latvia
Federal prosecutors in California have charged Revenko, a member of the hacking group Sector 16.
According to law enforcement information, Revenko assisted in gaining access to critical systems of oil and gas infrastructure in the U.S., Ukraine, Germany, France, and Latvia. The targets were primarily countries that are “considered enemies of the Russian government,” prosecutors noted.
Revenko mainly resided in Russia but was arrested on November 2 of last year in the Dominican Republic. He was then transported to the U.S. state of New Jersey and placed under arrest.
Nearly six months later, on April 30, Revenko reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in hopes of reducing the sentence they were seeking. According to Bloomberg, the hacker faces up to 27 years in prison on the cumulative charges.
Documents filed in federal court indicate that Revenko was a participant in the hacking group Sector 16.
The U.S. Department of Justice had previously announced a reward of $500,000 for information that would help apprehend members of this group.
American law enforcement characterizes Sector 16 as an amateur group using “primitive hacking methods to gain access to industrial control systems.”
The case materials mention at least three attacks on industrial infrastructure that Revenko is believed to have been involved in.
In particular, in January 2025, Sector 16 hackers breached an oil industry facility in Texas. They managed to access the SCADA system controlling oil pumps and storage tanks.
In the same year, the group hacked an oil and gas facility in North Dakota, after which they developed a plan to sell access to the facility to the Russian government.
There were also breaches of “facilities in New York and Pennsylvania,” but it is unclear whether these were oil refineries or other enterprises.
The case materials also describe planned attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.