Russia’s intelligence service, the FSB, has said that the Russian government was hit with a “professional” cyber attack.
From the BBC:
A “cyber-spying virus” was found in the networks of about 20 organizations, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
The report comes as Russia stands accused over data breaches involving the Democratic Party in the US.
The Russian government has denied involvement and has denounced the “poisonous anti-Russian” rhetoric coming out of Washington.
The FSB did not say who it believed was responsible for hacking Russian networks, but said the latest hack resembled “much-spoken-about” cyber-spying, without elaborating.
So after three cyberattacks on Democratic targets (specifically, the DNC and the Clinton campaign) in six weeks that were almost definitely performed by Russian hackers, and following Kremlin denial of involvement, the Russian government is now saying that it itself was the victim of a professional attack that “targeted state organizations, scientific and defence companies, as well as ‘country’s critically important infrastructures.’ ”
If one were to speculate, one might say that this claim elevates and perpetuates an already tense situation and bodes ill for international cybersecurity and integrity.
If one were not to speculate, one might simply state that both the FBI and the FSB are now looking into the extent of hacking in and against their countries.
