Russian hackers recently examined the networks of at least five US energy companies and 18 other US defense, financial, and IT companies in a potential precursor to devastating hacks, the FBI warned.
According to CBS, the FBI said that while scanning activity is common on the network, the Russian IP addresses responsible for this scanning activity are believed to be associated with cyber players who have previously carried out a destructive cyber activity against foreign critical infrastructure..
The FBI urged US energy companies to check existing network traffic for theseIPaddresses and conduct follow-up investigations if they are observed.
President Joe Biden and one of his top cyber officials announced that Russia appeared to be preparing for cyberattacks on critical US infrastructure. support its conclusion.
The FBI said it had identified 140 RussianIPaddresses that were involved in abnormal scanning activity against the infrastructure of at least 23 US companies.
While other critical infrastructure sectors in the United States have observed abnormal operations, the focus appears to be on entities within the energy sector, the official added.
According to the alert, 140 IPaddresses included in the alert have been observedwhile scanning infrastructure operators networks since March 2021, but this activity has increased since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in a greater likelihood of future intrusions.