FBI: US and Allies Disrupt Russian Cyber Espionage Operation Against the United States and Europe

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that the United States and its allies have disrupted a Russian cyber-espionage operation against the United States and Europe and shut down a network of more than 1,000 hacked Internet routers that Russian military intelligence used to exert influence, CNN reports.

The operation used a court order to cut off access to home and small business routers hacked by Russia's GRU military intelligence service, kicking them out and "locking the door behind them," Rey told a Munich security conference. Conference.

The US Department of Justice announced that Russian hackers had used a network of hacked routers, known as a botnet, to attack US and other governments. 

Russian spies also targeted "military, security and corporate organisations" to gather intelligence.

Christopher Wray also reiterated US warnings that Russian- and Chinese-backed hacker groups have long sought a foothold in US energy and telecommunications networks. U.S. officials are concerned that Beijing could use this access to shut down networks in the event of a crisis.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, "we've seen Russia conducting reconnaissance in the U.S. energy sector," said Christopher Ray. "And this is a particularly worrying trend because we know that once access is established, a hacker can quickly and without warning switch from gathering information to attacking."

"Russia has made murder, rape, and mayhem its stock and trade, so no one should doubt its continued willingness to launch devastating cyberattacks before and during military conflict," the FBI chief added.

US intelligence agencies are also using hacking operations to try to thwart Russia, China and other rival governments. But unlike the FBI's court-authorised work, details of these US cyber operations are rarely made public.