{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Short description|Russian cybersecurity company}} {{Infobox company | name = Group-IB | type = Private | industry = Cybercrime | founded = Moscow, Russia | key_people = * Dmitry Volkov, CEO Singapore * Ilya Sachkov, founder and owner (37.5%) | hq_location_city = Singapore | num_locations = | area_served = | products = | services = | num_employees = | website = * [https://www.group-ib.com/ Singapore Website] }} '''Group-IB''' is a cybersecurity company. It was founded in 2003 by Ilya Sachkov and Dmitry Volkov in Moscow, Russia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Builov |first1=Maxim |last2=Isakova |first2=Tatyana |last3=Sherunkova |first3=Olga |title=Неизменимых нет |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5008631?query=%22Group-IB%22 |work=Kommersant |date=29 September 2021 |language=ru |trans-title=No one is unchangeable}}</ref>
In 2023, it spun off its Russian operations with its operations outside Russia led by Dmitry Volkov, a Russian national, and based in Singapore, while the Russian entity continues operations in Moscow under the F.A.C.C.T. name.
== History ==
Group-IB was founded in 2003 by Ilya Sachkov and Dmitry Volkov in Russia, to provide cybercrime investigations and digital forensics services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theceomagazine.com/executive-interviews/it-electronics/the-champions-of-cybersecurity-dmitry-volkov|title=Dmitry Volkov, CEO of Group-IB|website=The CEO Magazine}}</ref> In 2017, the company signed a data sharing agreement with INTERPOL, to coordinate the exchange of threat intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Olenick|first=Doug|title=Group IB, INTERPOL sign data exchange agreement|url=https://www.scworld.com/news/group-ib-interpol-sign-data-exchange-agreement|date=2 November 2017|website=scworld.com}}</ref> The company moved to Singapore in 2019 and received support from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian cyber titan Group-IB makes Singapore home |url=https://www.channelasia.tech/article/1268752/russian-cyber-titan-group-ib-makes-singapore-home.html |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=Channel Asia |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2019, the firm took 180,000 successful takedown requests for Game of Thrones, reported $3 million worth of fund stolen from a Dutch-Bangla Bank ATM, and reported Turkish payment card details were being sold online.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Game of Thrones Piracy in Russia: 180,000 Takedowns, Mirror Wars & Capitulation * TorrentFreak |url=https://torrentfreak.com/game-of-thrones-piracy-in-russia-180000-takedowns-mirror-wars-capitulation-190521/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=torrentfreak.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Russian 'Silence' hacking crew turns up the volume – with $3m-plus cyber-raid on bank's cash machines |url=https://www.theregister.com/2019/07/03/silence_hacking_bangla/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519021538/https://www.theregister.com/2019/07/03/silence_hacking_bangla/ |archive-date=2025-05-19 |access-date=2025-10-12 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=460,000 Turkish card details put up for sale, web skimmers suspected |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/455000-turkish-card-details-put-up-for-sale-web-skimmers-suspected/ |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref>
In September 2021, Ilya Sachkov, its co-founder and CEO, was detained by Russian authorities for treason.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-09-29 |title=Russia detains cyber-security tycoon Ilya Sachkov in treason case |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58738952 |access-date=2024-03-10 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian cybersecurity chief jailed for 14 years for treason |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/26/russian-cybersecurity-chief-jailed-for-14-years-on-treason |access-date=2024-03-10 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> The Russian and international business were later split with the business sold in April 2023 to Russian management to be branded F.A.C.C.T.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Cyber firm Group-IB to split Russian, international businesses |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/russian-cyber-firm-group-ib-split-russian-international-businesses-2022-07-06/ |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Marrow |first=Alexander |date=April 20, 2023 |title=Cyber firm Group-IB finalizes Russia split to spur global ambitions |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/cyber-firm-group-ib-finalises-russia-split-spur-global-ambitions-2023-04-20/ |work=Reuters}}</ref> F.A.C.C.T. would market Group-IB products and services while being a separate entity allowing Group-IB to not directly have a presence in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/russian_facct_employee_extradiation/|title=Security analyst wanted by both Russia and the US|website=The Register}}</ref> The move was reportedly because its Russian ties were hurting its business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Carly |date=1 November 2023 |title=With its exit from Russia complete, Group-IB plans its US expansion |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/01/group-ib-united-states-expansion/ |publisher=TechCrunch}}</ref> It was reported that despite the business split, founder Ilya Sachkov remained the primary shareholder of both companies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=F.A.C.C.T. created the Cybersecurity Center |url=https://tadviser.com/index.php/Company:F.A.C.C.T._(formerly_Group-IB_in_Russia)#Kazakhstan_extradites_F.A.C.C.T._employee_accused_of_hacking_company.27s_IT_systems_to_Russia |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=TAdviser.ru}}</ref>
In December 2023, the company's Moscow spinoff F.A.C.C.T. discovered that a hacking group was targeting Russian companies with a war-related phishing attack.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cyber-espionage group Cloud Atlas targets Russian companies with war-related phishing attacks |url=https://therecord.media/cloud-atlas-targets-russian-orgs-war-phishing |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=therecord.media |language=en}}</ref> According to Substack, the Group-IB based in Singapore continues to be headed by Dmitry Volkov, a Russian national.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=NetAskari |date=2025-07-08 |title=SLAPP: The "Stealthy Way" of Censorship |url=https://substack.com/home/post/p-167850114 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=NetAskari}}</ref>
In August 2024, Group-IB investigated the Mobile Guardian security breach, and identified that over 300 account credentials related to the Mobile Guardian administration appeared for sale, 70 of which were on sale on the dark web.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mobile-guardian-hacking-singapore-cybersecurity-moe-secondary-schools-ipad-4536331 |title=Mobile Guardian breach: Protocols in place but more could be done, say experts |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |date=9 August 2024 |access-date=31 March 2026}}</ref>
In July 2025, it was reported that Group-IB was acting as legal agent for Tencent, a company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, in attempting to kill FreeWechat.com, an anti-censorship WeChat archive developed by Chinese censorship monitoring website GreatFire to enforce the Communist Party's Great Firewall.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharwood |first=Simon |date=July 11, 2025 |title=Chinese censorship-busters claim Tencent is trying to kill its WeChat archive |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/11/greatfire_alleges_tencent_legal_attack/ |work=The Register}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dar |first=Khunsha |date=July 17, 2025 |title=Chinese tech firm Tencent seeks removal of anti-censorship archive FreeWeChat, watchdog says |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2025/07/17/chinese-tech-firm-tencent-seeks-removal-of-anti-censorship-archive-freewechat-watchdog-says/ |work=Hong Kong Free Press}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Computer security companies Category:Computer security software companies Category:Technology companies established in 2003 Category:Technology companies of Russia