Russia arrests young cybersecurity entrepreneur on treason charges The Record from Recorded Future News
pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstatepp Influence Operations ppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp A 21yearold tech entrepreneur and cybersecurity specialist was arrested in Moscow on treason charges late last week the latest case targeting Russias own tech community pp Details of the case are classified but Russian media say Timur Kilin may have drawn official ire after publicly criticizing the stateowned messaging app Max and the governments anticybercrime legislation pp Kilin who built several security tools and founded a cybersecurity startup this year had used his Telegram channel to call Max a disgusting product He said he reported multiple vulnerabilities to the developers only to be blacklisted from their group chat Among the flaws he flagged was the apps use of software libraries from unfriendly countries which he argued could expose Russians data to foreign actors pp Russias statebacked messaging app Max is being promoted as the countrys flagship alternative to Western platforms and starting in 2025 it will be preinstalled on all new smartphones in the country The app supports calls chats and payments but security experts warn that its lack of endtoend encryption and deep integration with government systems give it significant surveillance potential pp Kilin also criticized a proposed anticyberfraud bill that would criminalize disclosures of security flaws and exploitation methods a measure other experts have also opposed pp I can understand banning VPNs technology websites Kilin wrote But no civilized society would ever allow a ban on global knowledge pp The entrepreneur has also reportedly been involved in a legal dispute with Aeza Group a Russian technology provider sanctioned this year by the US and the UK for allegedly supporting ransomware operations and online drug markets Kilin said a court ordered the company to pay him compensation and a fine though the authenticity of his statement is difficult to verify pp Local outlets reported that Kilin developed a system for largescale vulnerability scanning operated the hosting service TverHost and recently launched a cybersecurity firm called Spide Security Reporters were able to link his Telegram channels through a phone number exposed in a data breach pp His arrest warrant adds to a growing list of actions handed down to Russian tech professionals and ordinary internet users In 2023 Ilya Sachkov cofounder of cybersecurity firm GroupIB was sentenced to 14 years in a strictregime colony on charges he denied including allegedly sharing information with US authorities about the military intelligencelinked hacking group known as Fancy Bear pp Ordinary internet users have also faced harsh penalties for online speech Last year a 72yearold woman received a 55year sentence for antiwar posts on VKontakte Another Russian citizen was sentenced to six years for posts criticizing Moscows invasion of Ukraine which a court described as politically motivated hatred ppDaryna Antoniukppis a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine She writes about cybersecurity startups cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine Her work has also been published at Sifted The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv PostppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2025 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp
