[ad_1]
Washington accuses Moscow of accessing US government systems and closes consulates. The Kremlin denies its involvement.
The United States will close, according to the American television channel CNN, its two consulates in Russia, while President-elect Joe Biden prepares for the transition amid tensions with the Russian government, suspected of being the origin of a cyberattack on American institutions . The State Department will close the consulate in Vladivostok, in the extreme east of Russia, and will suspend the activities of the one in Yekaterinburg.
The official thesis is that the decision was made “in response to continuing personnel problems in the US mission in Russia, following the imposition by the Russian authorities of a limit on the US mission in 2017 and the consequent stalemate with the government. Russian regarding diplomatic visas, “CNN said. The truth is that the announcement comes shortly after Washington’s accusations about the Kremlin’s involvement in the cyberattack on American institutions, including the Pentagon and nuclear laboratories.
Ten US diplomats posted to consulates will be transferred to the US Embassy in Moscow, which will remain the only US diplomatic representation in Russia.
“Continuous and unprecedented”
According to security experts, the cyberattack could give attackers access to power grids and critical computer systems.
Who has no doubts is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who declared that Russia was behind the vast cyberattack that affected the country. “It was a very important operation and I think we can say, quite clearly, that it was the Russians who undertook it. They even entered the systems of our government.”
Hours after Pompeo’s remarks, outgoing President Donald Trump downplayed the cyber attack and singled out China as a possible perpetrator, contradicting the secretary of state.
Trump attacked the media for reporting that the Kremlin could be behind the cyberattack and assured that “everything is under control.”
Microsoft indicated that more than 40 customers detected the program used by the hackers and that it allowed unhindered access to the victims’ networks. “About 80% of our customers are in the United States,” said company president Brad Smith, who warns that the attack “creates a serious technological vulnerability for the United States. This is not normal espionage, even at the time. digital.”
The chairman of the Senate Information Committee, Republican Marco Rubio, said “this is a major attack,” probably “still ongoing” and “unprecedented.”
Russia has denied any involvement in the cyber attack, denying, “firmly, being involved in this case” and saying that the country “has not carried out offensive operations in cyberspace,” according to a statement from the Russian embassy in Washington.
77 more Chinese companies and institutions on the “black list”
The United States added 77 more Chinese institutions and companies, including the microchip maker SMIC and the drone DJI, to the “black list” of companies with which the export of US technology is prohibited, for “actions contrary to security or interests foreign politicians of the United States “. The Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce indicated that it included SMIC in the so-called “List of Entities” “to protect the security” of the United States and for alleged links with the Chinese Army. “We will not allow advanced American technology to help build the armed forces of a belligerent opponent.”
A native of the State
The US company FireEye, specialized in hunting hackers, indicated that it was the target of a highly sophisticated attack, which it considered to be a state. “We were recently attacked by an entity whose discipline, operational security and techniques lead us to believe that it is a group sponsored by a country,” revealed the Californian group.
Prevention in NATO
NATO is verifying its computer systems after the gigantic cyberattack on US government agencies, announced an official from the Atlantic Alliance.
[ad_2]
