The Russian Security Council chief has warned
about possible cyber attacks against the vote-counting system ahead of the
presidential election.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, February 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has warned foreign intelligence services have stepped up their activity to plot intricate scenarios of cyberattacks against Russia.
"It is noteworthy there has been considerable expansion in the range of tasks pursued by foreign computer intelligence services," Patrushev told a conference devoted to cybersecurity matters.
"Sophisticated scenarios are being devised and implemented of using
IT software and hardware aimed at obtaining information circulating in the
information and telecommunications networks and information systems of Russia’s
critical information infrastructures.
Three mass
encrypting virus attacks disabled over 500,000 computers in Russia in 2017, he
said. "In 2017, three incidents of the mass infiltration of malware
encrypting user data occurred," the security
chief said.
"The
attacks disabled over half a million of computers, including at the facilities
of Russia’s IT structure. The viruses infected the information systems of
Russia’s Interior Ministry and the companies Rosneft and Evraz," Patrushev
said.
Possible attack during presidential election
Patrushev
has warned about possible cyber attacks against the national automated
vote-counting system GAS Vybory ahead of the upcoming presidential polls.
"Ahead
of the presidential election in Russia, we expect that the number of political,
economic and information actions will grow," he said.
According
to the Russian security chief, cyber attacks might be targeted against the GAS
Vybory vote-counting system. He demanded security precautions be properly
observed when connecting databases to computer networks of general use, first
of all, to the internet. He also stressed the necessity to pay special
attention to issues of observing constitutional guarantees and election rights
and safeguarding public security during the election campaign.
Source: ITAR-TASS 20-02-2018
