Also US Nuclear Agency Hacked: Biden Promises Harsh Punishments

Hackers have managed to penetrate the network of the US service responsible for the country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.

According to Politico magazine, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the Department of Energy has become a victim of hackers who also infiltrated at least five other US government agencies in recent days.

The Department of Energy says no nuclear secrets have been stolen. The NNSA does say that “suspicious activity on the networks has been widely reported”. The US accuses Russia of being behind the attacks, but Russia contradicts the charges. The Russian Embassy in Washington says that “Russia is not conducting offensive operations in the cyber domain”.

Meanwhile, political criticism of President Donald Trump is increasing. Democrats, in particular, accuse the government of a lax stance against cyber attacks. Future US President Joe Biden has also responded.

He promises harsh punishments for the people behind the cyberattacks on US government agencies and businesses. “The attack worries me deeply,” said Biden.

Biden vowed on Thursday to take swift action from the day he takes office as president, and his team will make the attack a top priority. Biden also promised that the parties responsible for such cyber attacks “will pay” for their actions. “Our opponents should know that as president I will not stand idly by as cyberattacks on our nation,” he said in a statement.

The chances are that in the coming days and weeks, even more, prominent organizations will emerge as victims of this large-scale and sophisticated hack possibly also in our country.