The Department of Justice announced today that it had received a request for assistance from the Russian Ministry of Justice (Minyust) to help them identify and apprehend the hackers who have recently been attacking railroad operations in western Russian and Belarus. According to news reports in Russia, there have been cyberattacks on the railroad system that have caused intermittent shutdowns of rail traffic throughout western Russia and Belarus since last Thursday.
Della Street, spokes person for DOJ, told reporters this morning that the Attorney General was considering the request because of recent Minyust actions against Russian cybercriminals who have been conducting ransomware attacks against organizations in the United States and Europe. “We are talking with our allies in the region about this request.”
According to Nikolai Krylenko, Minyust spokesperson, the cyberattacks have disrupted key freight and passenger services thoughout Western Russia. “Our government is concerned that this criminal activity is harming the free movement of our citizens and hampering distribution of key materials throughout the region,” Krylenko said in a statement released this morning in New York.
The Free Ukraine Cyber Kollective against Russian has claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against the Russian military. A report on their web site, which was taken offline this morning, noted that they had delayed movement of military supplies and personnel to the border region with the Ukraine.
Rep. Harvey Milk (D,CA) told reporters that, while he has concerns about the use of cyber attacks against critical infrastructure any where in the world, the actions of the Kollective do not appear to be as concerning since they have been made in response to the Russian attack against the Ukraine. He said that he will be introducing legislation today prohibiting DOJ from taking any action against civilians that undertake cyberattacks against foreign military invasions of free countries. “We have a long history, reaching back to World War I, of civilians joining military action against oppressors in Europe before the United States government joins the fray,” Milk told reporters.
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