An American flag flutters outside the US Department of Justice building in Washington (Reuters)
The US Department of Justice said on Thursday that it had dismantled a Russian intelligence hacking network.
In a statement, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, “For the second time in two months, we have prevented state-sponsored digital hackers from carrying out electronic attacks under the guise of fragile American Internet connection devices (routers).
The Ministry of Justice said that an operation authorized by the judiciary last January stopped the activity of a network that includes hundreds of routers in small offices and homes controlled by Russian intelligence, and is used “to hide and sometimes carry out a variety of crimes.”
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "In this case, Russian intelligence services turned to criminal groups to help them target routers in homes and offices, but the Department of Justice thwarted their plan."
Garland added that the Justice Department is working to accelerate efforts to disrupt the Russian government's cyber campaigns against the United States and its partners, particularly Ukraine.
In March 2023, the administration of US President Joe Biden launched its national cybersecurity strategy.
The strategy - which came in 39 pages - included Biden's vision for achieving a more secure future online, by reorganizing roles and distributing responsibilities, and enhancing incentives for investment in cybersecurity in the long term.
The new strategy called on software makers and American industry to take much greater responsibility for ensuring that their systems are not compromised, while accelerating efforts by the FBI and the Department of Defense to disrupt the activities of hackers and ransomware groups around the world.
Every day, companies, government and private agencies across the United States are exposed to non-stop electronic attacks aimed at penetrating their technological systems.
FBI data and the annual Internet Crime Complaint Center reports indicate a continuous, non-stop rise in cybercrime over the past years, and the crimes include well-known types of crimes and various frauds in almost all fields.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters