The Trump administration says Russian cyberattacks targeted US and European utility infrastructure

The Trump administration has blamed the Russian government for carrying out a series of cyberattacks targeted at US and European nuclear power plants and other utility infrastructure since at least March 2016.

A security memo issued by authorities states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI characterize the cyberattacks as a “multi-stage intrusion campaign by Russian government cyber actors who targeted small commercial facilities’ networks where they staged malware, conducted spear phishing, and gained remote access into energy sector networks.” The alert didn’t specifically name the companies or facilities but said they appeared to be deliberately targeted.

The memo also contains screenshots, which The New York Times says indicates the Russian hackers had enough control of the systems that they could have manipulated or shut down the power plants. The attacks targeted the energy, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors. The NYT notes that in 2013, researchers had already linked Russian hackers to hundreds of attacks on energy operators in both Europe and the US. Those were supposedly aimed at intelligence gathering, but that changed in 2015 when operations then pointed to the potential crippling or shutting down of infrastructure. The attacks reportedly gained momentum in late 2015, when Russian meddling in the election had already commenced.

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions yesterday against five entities and 19 people tied to Russian hacking and influence operations on the 2016 presidential election and other cyber attacks. Russia has vowed to retaliate against those sanctions and has in the past also denied hacking into other countries’ infrastructure.