In the midst of increased border tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that critical infrastructure and local government networks are at “very high risk” of a massive cyber attack sponsored by the Russian government.
First reported by CNN, the DHS notice said that Russia “maintains a range of offensive cyber tools that it could employ against US networks — from low-level denials-of-service to destructive attacks targeting critical infrastructure”.
“We assess that Russia would consider initiating a cyber attack against the Homeland if it perceived a US or NATO response to a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine threatened its long-term national security,” the notice further read.
DHS has sent the memo to state governments, local governments, and operators of critical infrastructure.
Despite US-Russia tensions over Ukraine, the DHS believes Moscow’s threshold for conducting disruptive or destructive cyberattacks on the US homeland “probably remains very high.”
The US Department of Defense has announced that nearly 8,500 US troops have been placed on high alert for a possible deployment due to escalating tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border, but no decision on formal deployments has been made.
Last week, US Vice President Joe Biden stated that if Russia continues to target Ukrainian government websites, the US would respond with its own cyber attacks.
Previously, Russia-sponsored hackers launched a massive cyber-attack on Ukraine, shutting down several government websites. The websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several other government agencies were taken down as a result of the cyber-attack.
Russia has been repeatedly accused of cyber-attacks against Ukraine as tensions between the two countries have risen.
The European Union (EU) is also ready to defend itself against any potential Russian cyber-attacks or hybrid threats if it invades Ukraine, and it is “very well advanced” in its preparations for any aggression.
