Is Russia connected to JPMorgan hacking?
Security experts say the sophistication of the attacks suggest they were state sponsored.
Federal investigators are trying to determine if state-sponsored Russian hackers were behind the coordinated cyber attacks that looted data from JPMorgan Chase and other banks this month.
Although the attacks are believed to have originated in Russia or Eastern Europe, it remains unclear if the Russian government was involved.
The FBI is investigating whether the attacks could have been in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on Russia.
U.S. and European sanctions have changed the way banks deal with Russian transactions. In April, JPMorgan blocked a payment from a Russian embassy. Russia’s foreign ministry called the move “illegal and absurd.”
Cyber security intelligence firm ISight Partners recently warned clients that sanctions could lead to retaliation.
Cyber criminals have connections to the Russian government and are often tolerated or even encouraged to engage in hacking that aids government interests, a phenomenon known as “patriotic hacking,” said James Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
However, some security experts say it’s quite possible the attacks were the work of wily cyber thieves who frequently target U.S. interests and increasingly financial institutions.
Source: Usatoday
