The data obtained by the hackers includes email addresses and phone numbers of prisoners and their families. The group shared this information in the hope that someone would decide to contact them and help explain what really happened to Navalny. In addition to obtaining the database, the hackers attacked the store where prisoners' families could buy food, lowering prices to a symbolic level.
Continued article below the video
Navalny, considered Vladimir Putin's biggest political rival, died unexpectedly in February in a penal colony in the Yamal Autonomous Oblast. Although Putin is widely blamed for Navalny's death, it is unclear whether harsh prison conditions were to blame or if Navalny was killed.
Politically motivated hacking activities, known as “hacktivism,” have gained popularity since Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. “Hacking has proven to be a powerful tool used by various groups to express their opinions, attack adversaries, and attempt to influence the course of war,” says Tom Hagel, a cybersecurity expert at SentinelOne.
The hackers who broke into the prison's online store describe themselves as Russian immigrants. “We, IT professionals, left Russia today. We love our country and will return when it is freed from Putin's regime,” they wrote in a statement.
“Coffee enthusiast. Troublemaker. Incurable introvert. Subtly charming twitter scholar. Award-winning social mediaholic. Internet buff.”
