Russia Now Claims to be Target of Increasing Cyberattacks after US Hacking Allegations

Russian security officials are claiming that Moscow is being targeted by cyberattacks from around the world, in response to US accusations that Russia is ‘aggressively targeting’ information networks across Europe and the United States.

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council has told a regional newspaper that Russia is facing an increasing number of attempts from intruders to infiltrate its information networks. The claim comes within weeks of U.S. intelligence agencies accusing Russia and its President Vladimir Putin of triggering a cyberattack campaign in the run up to the 2016 presidential elections.

Putin, according to several US intelligence and law enforcement agencies, ordered the cyberattack campaign in an attempt to boost Donald Trump’s chances to win the presidency while discrediting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Speaking to Rossiiskaya Gazeta, according to Reuters, the Russian official stated:

Recently we have noted a significant increase in attempts to inflict harm on Russia’s informational systems from external forces. The global (Internet) operators and providers are widely used (for the attacks) while the methods they use constantly evolve.

Russia has continually denied allegations by the United States, dismissing the accusations as a “witch-hunt”.

The Russian official also stated that Moscow hoped to build “constructive contacts” with the incoming Trump administration. Further, the official also accused President Barack Obama of “deliberately ignoring the fact that the main Internet services are based on the territory of the United States and are used by Washington for intelligence and other purposes aimed at retaining its global domination.”

Patrushev also claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s official website faced “hundreds and sometimes even thousands” of hacking attacks every day. “Some hackers attack this site from US territory” he said, while others came from countries including China, India and a few across Europe.

The allegations of Russian hacking attacks targeting the Democratic party has led to the US senate intelligence committee, led by chairman Richard Burr, setting to task an investigation to look into possible links between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, according to Politico.

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