Russia Blamed for Coordinated Cyberattacks

The hackers have tried to breach routers, switches and firewalls in an effort to breach organizations across the globe, according to officials.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Apr 18, 2018

U.S. and British officials are blaming Russia for coordinated cyberattacks against internet infrastructure worldwide in an effort to conduct espionage and intellectual property theft.

Officials said Russian hackers have been conducting a months-long cyber campaign against network devices used by government organizations, private industry, critical infrastructure operators and internet service providers. The hackers have tried to breach routers, switches and firewalls in an effort to breach organizations across the globe, according to officials.

Officials said Russia targeted "millions" of network devices as part of the coordinated campaign, including small office/home office routers and residential routers. It is unclear to what extent the attacks were successful, however. Officials noted that they have confirmed "some" successful breaches.

“These devices actually make ideal targets,” said Jeanette Manfra, the top Homeland Security cybersecurity official. “When a malicious actor has access to this, they can monitor, modify, or deny traffic to an organization or from an organization externally.”

According to a technical alert, the hackers looked for security weaknesses in network devices that they could exploit in order to gain access. The methods allowed the hackers to intermittently and persistently access "U.S. critical infrastructure that supports the health and safety of the U.S. population."