Black Skills

Black Skills is a newly established Private Military Hacking Company (PMHC), announced by Killmilk, the leader of the Russian hacktivist collective Killnet, on March 13, 2023. The initiative, launched via Telegram, appears to be an effort by Killnet to establish itself as a corporate entity and further its cyber mercenary activities. The name "Black Skills" and the structure of the PMHC seem to be inspired by the growing presence and influence of private military companies in Russia, particularly the Wagner Group, a notorious Russian paramilitary organization. In March, Killnet debuted Black Skills as a cyber-army-for-hire, modeled after the Wagner Group, which served Russia during its invasion of Ukraine until a revolt occurred among the soldiers and its Kremlin-tied leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in June. The establishment of Black Skills by the Kremlin-affiliated collective, which first emerged in October 2021, represents an attempt to lend a corporate sheen to its cyber mercenary operations. The security vendor assessed that Killmilk's description of Black Skills was an attempt to position Killnet as the cyber equivalent of the Wagner Group. However, the potential impact of the revolt led by Wagner on Killnet and Black Skills remains unclear, according to Geenens. Despite this uncertainty, Killnet continues its efforts to drum up support for its initiatives, primarily through exaggerated claims of its successes. Researchers are closely monitoring these developments, with the understanding that the PMHC Black Skills, created by Killnet in March, is designed to mimic the online counterpart of Russian mercenaries in the style of the Wagner Group.