FBI investigates alleged Russian cyber attack on Wall Street

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11060338/FBI-investigates-alleged-Russian-cyber-attack-on-Wall-Street.html

By Philip Sherwell, New York
10:40PM BST 27 Aug 2014

The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers staged a cyber-attack on major Wall Street businesses this month in retaliation for US sanctions imposed over Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported last night.

The Russian hackers allegedly stole large amounts of sensitive data from JP Morgan Chase and at least one other bank, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The FBI is also reportedly looking into possible links to recent hacking of large European financial institutions.

The sophistication of the attacks appeared to be beyond the capability of normal criminal hackers, according to Bloomberg. That has fuelled suspicion that the operations may have been launched in retaliation for the US imposition of tougher sanctions on Russian banks and companies for Moscow’s aggression over Ukraine.

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There has been a rise in the number of cyber attacks US financial institutions this year from Russia and eastern Europe as relations have deteriorated between Washington and Moscow during the Ukraine crisis.

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JP Morgan Chase was singled out for criticism by the foreign Moscow ministry for blocking a payment from a Russian embassy to the affiliate of a US sanctioned bank.

Russian hackers have previously launched wide-ranging attacks against targets in Georgia and Estonia during crises between those countries and Moscow.