The U.S. government for the first time ever blamed Russia for hacking into American energy infrastructure. The Trump administration action comes a little over two weeks after a House committee detailed Russian attempts to influence energy markets.
U.S. officials said a “multi-stage intrusion campaign by Russian government cyber actors” that began in March 2016, possibly earlier, is part of a campaign to target critical infrastructure, including energy, nuclear and aviation facilities.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security on Thursday said hackers targeted small facilities “where they staged malware, conducted spear phishing, and gained remote access into energy sector networks,” Reuters reported.
It’s the first time the U.S. has directly called out Moscow for infrastructure hacking. It’s still unclear whether or not the hacks were successful or led to any damage, and the security alert did not name the companies targeted.
The Trump administration condemnation comes more than two weeks after the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology found Russian agents used social media outlets to embolden opposition to American energy production.
“Russia exploited American social media as part of its concerted effort to disrupt U.S. energy markets and influence domestic energy policy,” reads the committee’s report on Russian activities.
The committee found accounts linked to the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian troll farm, published 9,097 social media posts from 2015 to 2017 targeting energy policies and projects.
Thirteen Russians connected to IRA were indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“The IRA targeted pipelines, fossil fuels, climate change, and other divisive issues to influence public policy in the U.S.,” the House committee found.
For years, Republicans and energy industry experts have worried Russian money was being used to undermine U.S. energy policy.
Intelligence officials confirmed in early 2017 in a declassified report on election meddling that the state-owned media outlet Russia Today (RT) ran “anti-fracking programming, highlighting environmental issues and the impacts on public health.”
The House committee began the investigation in 2017 and asked Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to investigate whether or not Russians were using an offshore Bermuda-based law firm to funnel money to U.S. environmental groups.
Lawmakers asked Mnuchin to investigate whether or not the U.S.-based environmental group, the Sea Change Foundation, took $23 million from a Bermuda-based shell company with ties to Russian oligarchs in 2010 and 2011.
Sea Change gave millions to U.S.-based environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. All of those groups oppose hydraulic fracturing.
Read more at Daily Caller
Maybe a little less time on vilifying Russia and solving home grown problems would be better use of everyone’s time .
The Russian collusion delusion has been a one year side show with a special prosecutor at $30.000 per day that comes up basically nothing except some Russian citizens acting as trolls .
Clinton collusion evidence is already documented , abuse of FISA warrants is already documented , illegally unmasking USA citizens
at an astounding rate shows a pattern of abuse by the Obama administration ,there is evidence of money laundering to fund the Democrat Party and hiding the control of the Party by the Clinton
Foundation . So Russia is the problem ? Get real .
Spot on Amber. Apparently Russia is now responsible for all the ills of the modern world. If there’s a political, economic, legal, environmental or social problem in a Western country Putin and Russia are held accountable. Pathetic.
Clearly, Putin is so unbelievably persuasive that he was able to convince Hillary to effectively undermine her Presidential campaign by describing Trump supporters as deplorable, xenophobic, racist …
And remember
It’s Putin who’s despicable for
giving the Clinton foundation
150 million dollars after
receiving 127 tons of American Uranium
that NEVER belonged to the Clintons
Nor had they any authorization to sell !
And to this day
this is NOT being investigated.
To this day
no special counsel appointed !
Amber, did you hear that Vladimir Putin ordered the demolition of Nanticoke GS? Me neither.
Yes, we have our own home grown subversives. That said, Putin is probably guilty of more and worse than he stands accused . Russia is a tough country, and he rose to the top of the Communist rubble.
Russia isn’t perfect but what is all this anti Russia blame game ?
Anything to deflect from the truth is wrapped in a nice little
blame Russia package and it is crap .
Did Russia lie to FISA to secure spying approval on USA citizens ?
Did Russia sell Uranium to itself without nine agencies agreeing to it ?
Did Russia hack the DNC and kill Seth Rich ? Dream on .
Although far from perfect Russia has enough problems to worry about and this childish anti – Russia narrative is nothing more than a deflection strategy for the most part as we are about to find out .
Screw the Sierra Club and all its idiot members,staff leaders and supporters in and out of Hollywood the Russian campaign is a sinister attempt to undermine Americas energy production time for some bear hunting