"Returning to threats and sabotage": how the US is going to take action against "Russian" hackers

The United States will take action against cybercriminals on the territory of other states, including Russia.

This was stated by the head of the State Department Anthony Blinken at a conference in Washington, dedicated to new technologies and security issues.

Blinken stressed that the United States regards the use of so-called ransomware by hackers not only as a matter of law enforcement, but also of national security.

He recalled that every fourth American becomes a victim of cybercrime, and the damage from it is more than $ 4 billion a year.

Therefore, this issue is a priority on the US diplomatic agenda, the head of the State Department added.

“In our interaction with Russia, we attach increasing importance to ransomware.

Our message is clear: countries harboring cybercriminals must take action.

If they don’t do it, we will do it, ”Blinken emphasized.

The US Secretary of State noted that the American side is working to "involve allies and partners in a joint response to the malicious activities of other parties in cyberspace."

“This is exactly what happened after the cyberattack on SolarWinds.

The invasion was attributed to Russia, and 22 countries, the European Union and NATO, quickly supported the conclusion.

This is important because, acting as a united front, we can more effectively prevent future harmful actions, ”explained the head of the US Foreign Ministry.

According to Anthony Blinken, Washington is strengthening diplomatic mechanisms and "mechanisms to assist foreign governments to combat transnational cybercrime," and is also working to expand the membership of the global computer crime treaty known as the Budapest Convention.

We will remind, at the end of June, Blinken said that the United States expects practical results from negotiations with Russia on the issue of combating cybercriminals.

The head of the State Department added that the American side wants to make sure that no responsible country is harboring criminal organizations that are involved in cyberattacks, and does not provide them with safe haven. 

New charges

Since the Biden administration came to power in the United States, the topic of cyberspace threats and accusations against Russia of cyber attacks have become one of the central points of Washington's foreign policy agenda.

Thus, the White House accused Russia of involvement in a large-scale cyberattack on the US federal infrastructure through software from SolarWinds.

On April 15, Biden signed a decree introducing new sanctions against Moscow, and the State Department announced the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats from the United States.

In an official White House statement on this matter, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) was officially responsible for the SolarWinds cyberattack.

In early May, the US authorities announced that hackers who attacked the systems of the American pipeline company Colonial Pipeline with the help of ransomware could be based on the territory of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, the White House refused to confirm their connection with the Russian authorities, but some American politicians and the media made similar statements.

In early June, hackers allegedly based in Russia were accused of attacking the networks of the American division of the meat supplier JBS.

In early July, the same criminals allegedly carried out an attack on the network of the Kaseya company.

Even before meeting with Joe Biden in Geneva, Russian President Vladimir Putin called such accusations, in particular in the attack on the JBS network, ridiculous and ridiculous.

At the same time, the Russian President later noted that in the context of Russian-American relations, the issue of cybersecurity is one of the most important topics for discussion.

He stressed that Russia will be ready to extradite cybercriminals to the United States, subject to mirror actions on the part of Washington.

“If we agree on the extradition of the criminals, then Russia, of course, will agree to this, we will do it.

Only if the other side, in this case the United States, agrees to the same and extradits the corresponding criminals to the Russian Federation, ”Putin said on June 13 in an interview with the Moscow.

Kremlin.

Putin ”of the TV channel“ Russia-1 ”.

The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said on July 12 that during the last telephone conversation, the leaders of the Russian Federation and the United States discussed the issue of cyberattacks, but Washington did not provide Moscow with any detailed information about these incidents.

Peskov stressed that cooperation in this area should go within the framework of an agreement on mutual assistance in criminal matters.

• Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov

• RIA News

• © Sergey Bobylev

“The political dialogue is wonderful, the dialogue at the highest level is the most effective that can be.

But this type of specific information is nevertheless transmitted through the channels of special services, it is of a more detailed nature, because the presidents, with all their might, cannot discuss in detail the substances related to cyberspace, "the press secretary of the Russian president said.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on July 8 that Washington has not yet given an unambiguous answer to Moscow's initiative to start a dialogue on cybersecurity, "although in Geneva President Biden ... instructed his employees to think about organizing such a dialogue."

In turn, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov called the issue of cyber attacks one of the biggest "irritants" in relations between Russia and the United States.

According to him, Moscow has conveyed to Washington concrete proposals on the restoration of interaction mechanisms for effective investigation of incidents in the information space and is counting on a positive reaction from the United States.

Double standarts

From a legal point of view, there is no confirmation that there are any hackers working against the United States on the territory of the Russian Federation, Alexander Domrin, professor at the HSE Faculty of Law, recalled in an interview with RT.

“For Washington to be able to adopt any new sanctions against Russia, it is necessary to confirm that these hackers are working against the United States under the control and permission of the Russian leadership.

However, the United States has no such evidence.

At the same time, they will continue to use this topic as a pretext for adopting new sanctions against Russia, ”the expert noted.

• Reuters

• © Kacper Pempel / File

Statements about the presence on the territory of the Russian Federation of any hacker groups of a criminal nature, the actions of which are allegedly sanctioned by the Russian authorities

is a far-fetched pretext for introducing new measures and restrictions to contain Moscow, added Alexander Domrin.

“In general, cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation in this area could be effective if it were not for the confrontational position of the White House.

In addition, if the states begin to take some kind of joint decisions, then the United States will have to retreat from its position and, accordingly, stop blaming Russia for all its internal and external problems.

Unfortunately, this is not profitable for them, "said the interlocutor of RT.

As noted by Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the statement by the head of the US State Department "sounds like a threat" and an attempt to legitimize the possible intervention of the American side in Russian cyberspace.

“In this case, the main question is whether these measures will be directed against the official state structures associated with the Russian leadership, or cybercriminals who conduct their own operations.

Even if these measures are directed against fraudsters, this is a clear attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia under the slogan of fighting cybercrime, ”the expert emphasized.

In general, the rhetoric of the United States towards Russia on information security issues is an expression of a policy of double standards, believes Konstantin Blokhin.

“In Washington, referring to the secrecy, they are not going to provide any information so that they can continue to accuse Moscow of cybercrimes.

At the same time, several times more cyberattacks are carried out from the territory of the United States against Russia, and despite this, the Russian leadership is trying to preserve space for normalizing relations with the White House, "the political scientist noted.

For the US, the issue of cybercrime and foreign hackers

is an instrument of pressure on Russia, as well as a rationale for further investment in cybersecurity, Blokhin added.

“Russia constantly demonstrates its desire to cooperate with the United States in this area and conduct a dialogue.

However, in Washington, despite the statements about its readiness for partnership, time after time they return to threats and sabotage, ”the expert concluded.