Watch: US, Britain blame Russia for global cyber attack
US, Britain blame Russia for global cyber attack
Australia has also joined the US and the UK in blaming Russia for the cyber attacks
Days after the US-led air strikes in Syria, the retaliation possibly seems to be coming from Russia in cyberspace. Moscow may actually opt for cyber attacks over nuclear war.
Cyberspace is proving to be a battleground for Russia and the West. Russia has already been accused of carrying out cyber attacks on Washington, London and other cities.
In a fresh series of allegations, the United States and Britain have accused the Kremlin of launching attacks on firewalls and other networking equipment used by government agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure operators across the globe.
American and British officials say that the new cyber attacks have affected a wide range of organisations including internet service providers, private businesses, among others around the world.
Washington and London issued a joint statement that says, "The operation is to support espionage, extract intellectual property, maintain persistent access to victim networks and potentially lay a foundation for future offensive operations".
Britain and US have issued an alert to understand the threat and protect potential targets. This comes amid tensions between Russia and the West over a suspected chemical attack in Syria.
White House's cybersecurity coordinator, Rob Joyce, recently noted, "The alert is not related to the suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria that prompted a US-led military strike over the weekend targetting facilities of the Russian-backed Syrian government".
The Kremlin has outrightly denied the allegations. The Russian embassy issued a statement saying that "British accusations of cyber threats from Moscow are striking examples of a reckless, provocative and unfounded policy against Russia".
Australia has also joined the US and the UK in blaming Russia for the cyber attacks.
This is not the first time when such allegations are levelled against Putin-led Russia. While Moscow continues to rubbish all accusations, the blame-game continues to intensify between Russia and the West.