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State-Sponsored Russian Hackers Actively Seeking To Hijack Essential Internet Hardware, US and UK Intelligence Agencies Say (bbc.com)

State-sponsored Russian hackers are actively seeking to hijack essential internet hardware, US and UK intelligence agencies say. BBC reports: The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security issued a joint alert warning of a global campaign. The alert details methods used to take over essential network hardware. The attacks could be an attempt by Russia to gain a foothold for use in a future offensive, it said. "Russia is our most capable hostile adversary in cyber-space, so dealing with their attacks is a major priority for the National Cyber Security Centre and our US allies," said Ciaran Martin, head of the NCSC in a statement. The alert said attacks were aimed at routers and switches that directed traffic around the net. Compromised devices were used to look at data passing through them, so Russia could scoop up valuable intellectual property, business information and other intelligence.

6 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. What I say is... by bagofbeans · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...every country's spy agencies are trying to suborn every other country's switching gear.

    Are we back to the "exceptionalism" or "world police" nobnsense whereby it's ok ok if we do it to them, but not vice-versa, because we're the good guys? Every country's spy agencies think they're the good guys.

    1. Re:What I say is... by AlwinBarni · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, we do not assassinate our journalists for being critical of the government.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Simple Solution by darkain · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Write laws that prevent hardware manufacturers from putting security patches behind paid fees. In the enterprise space, this is far too common, under the guise of "service contracts" and is fucking ridiculous. Its just a way for large companies to milk more money from other large companies, and those smaller companies that cannot always afford to pay continual service contracts are the ones getting fucked over and exploited because of things like this. Seriously, it is sad that there is an actual community dedicated to pirating and distributing security patches from major enterprise hardware manufacturers.

  4. Re:Blah Russia blah blah blah RUSSIA! Blah! by Archtech · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We already had a WWIII. It was called the Cold War.

    Boy, do you have a nasty surprise coming!

    The Cold War was worrying.

    WWIII will *melt* you and set you on fire.

    --
    I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  5. That's funny coming from you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    because you're someone who has been definitely proven to do exactly this, and now you're trying to trick us into believing someone else is, someone who has (again unlike you) never been proven to do so before.

    Nice try, but your propaganda gets checked at the door.