Officials Warn Russian Hackers Will Retaliate Against U.S. Firms

A swath of major American businesses, from banks to utility companies, is preparing for possible cyberattacks against their computer networks as Russia threatened “consequences” for nations that interfere with its invasion of Ukraine, reports Bloomberg News. In response, American officials have urged organizations to plan for worst-case scenarios and more aggressively monitor their computer networks for possible intrusions.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “Shields Up” campaign has encouraged cyber preparedness in recent days, from ensuring that software is up to date to designating a crisis-response team for a suspected cybersecurity incident. Steven Silberstein, chief executive officer of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, known as FS-ISAC, an organization that shares cyber intelligence among financial institutions around the world, said in a statement: “Our global intelligence team is continuing to actively assess the situation through enhanced monitoring and cross-border threat intelligence sharing across the financial services sector. Our members and the broader financial services industry remain vigilant.”