Russian-linked hacker groups have launched several cyberattacks aimed at various levels of government in America - states and municipalities.
This is stated in a joint statement by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency (CISA) and the FBI, published on the agency's website.
“Since at least September 2020, a Russian-funded entity that poses an advanced sustained threat and is publicly identified as Berserk Bear, Energetic Bear, TeamSpy, Dragonfly, Havex, Crouching Yeti and Koala has been campaigning against a wide range of US targets.
This entity carried out targeted attacks on dozens of networks of government agencies of various levels and on aviation networks, attempted to invade several organizations of various levels, successfully attacked the network infrastructure and, as of October 1, 2020, took possession of data from at least two affected servers, ” the agency said.
The statement explains that this hacker group may attempt to break into American systems with the aim of subverting, influencing US policy and delegitimizing government agencies at different levels.
Since the malicious activity of this hacker group was directed at various levels of government networks, there may be some risk to election-related information posted on these networks, the CISA and the FBI said in a joint statement.
“However, to date, the FBI and the Agency have no evidence that the election data was compromised.
In connection with the increased awareness of the electoral infrastructure and targeted attacks on the networks of government agencies at various levels, the FBI and the Agency will continue to monitor such activities and their impact on the electoral infrastructure, ”the document emphasizes.
New charges
Recall that over the past few days, the American authorities have made a number of accusations against Russia related to alleged cyberattacks and intentions to interfere with elections in different countries, as well as an attempt to disrupt sports events.
So, on October 19, the US Department of Justice indicted six Russians, allegedly from the GRU unit that specializes in cyber attacks.
Russian citizens are charged with cyberattacks in the 2017 French presidential elections, the Winter Olympics in South Korea, a number of American companies and Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
US Department of Justice building in Washington DC
Reuters
© Andrew Kelly
“Russia has made it clear over and over again that it will not adhere to established norms and instead intends to continue its destructive, destabilizing activities in cyberspace,” FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich said, commenting on the indictment.
In turn, The Associated Press claims that this unit is allegedly involved in the interference in the US presidential elections in 2016, but is not connected with the upcoming elections in November.
At the same time, John Demers, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, joined the accusations of cyber attacks against Russia.
"No other country has used its cyber capabilities as a weapon as maliciously and irresponsibly as Russia, meaninglessly inflicting unprecedented damage to achieve minor tactical advantages and satisfy its attacks of anger," The Associated Press quoted him as saying.
Shortly after the charges were brought against the Russians, during a press conference on October 22, US National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe said that Russia, as well as Iran, are trying to interfere in the election of the head of the White House, having received data on American voters.
According to Ratcliffe, this data can be used to provide registered voters with false information that "will create doubt, wreak havoc and undermine your confidence in our elections."
In his statement, Ratcliffe stressed that the United States would not tolerate foreign interference in elections, and warned of the consequences for countries that resort to such actions.
Russia's reaction
In September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that accusations against Russia of "interference" in the elections had long since come as no surprise to Moscow.
“The question about the accusation against Russia that we interfere in the presidential elections in the United States - well, we have been hearing this for many years.
They already have such a game - who interferes more: Russia, China or Iran? .. So these games of adults have been going on for a long time, they do not surprise us, ”Lavrov said at a press conference following the meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers.
US polling station
Reuters
© Elijah Nouvelage
At the same time, the head of the Russian foreign policy department emphasized that he was still surprised by accusations that Russia was allegedly trying to use mail-in voting to interfere in the US presidential elections.
“Until now, it seemed to me that voting by mail is a problem of contradictions between President Trump, who categorically does not want to allow this vote to be done, and Democrats, who definitely want to expand voting by mail as much as possible ... And in this case, as in in the case of poisoning, as in the case of situations in other countries of the world, we will be guided by specific facts if they are presented to us, ”Lavrov stressed.
In turn, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on another statement by the director of the US National Intelligence Service, said that all such accusations have no basis.
“Accusations are pouring in every day, they are all absolutely groundless, they are not based on anything, it is rather a tribute to the internal political processes associated with the upcoming elections,” said Peskov.
According to Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a new series of statements about Russian hackers and attempts to interfere in the elections suggests that the American political establishment is already ready to use this topic to their advantage after the November 3 vote.
“The special services want to create the basis for new anti-Russian sanctions.
Another thing is that American political parties declare different degrees of "interference" and interpret this issue for their own political purposes.
Both US parties are going to exaggerate and use the issue of Russia's “interference” as an instrument of internal political struggle, as well as to support the myth of the “Russian threat” so that the Russian Federation will constantly appear in the information space in the United States, ”the political scientist emphasized.
According to him, if the Democratic Party of the United States, represented by Joe Biden, is defeated in the elections, she and its supporters will certainly question the legitimacy of the vote, saying that Russia allegedly interfered in it.
According to Andrei Koshkin, a member of the Academy of Military Sciences, there is nothing new in such accusations - they sounded from the stage of the last round of the presidential debate.
“That is, at such a high level, the American voters are given the idea that it is Russia that is aiming at intervention,” the expert noted.
At the same time, Andrei Koshkin emphasized, new anti-Russian sanctions are being adopted on the basis of these unsubstantiated accusations.
“This is called factoid information warfare technology.
That is, the very fact of interference was not, however, it was created as a precedent in the information space.
And when some sanctions are adopted, they will flaunt the fact that these measures were allegedly taken for "interference", and it does not matter whether it was in fact or not, "the political scientist explained.
According to him, the United States does not care about the future of relations with Russia, degrading due to such accusations.
“It is paradoxical that the United States considers itself the dominant country on the planet, and Russia is a kind of outcast.
But at the same time, it is Russia that determines who will be their president.
This is an absolutely illogical position, but it fits perfectly into the pre-election rhetoric, ”the expert concluded.