US indicts 4 Russian agents for hacking energy firms

Four Russian agents have been indicted in the United States for hacking attacks targeting the energy sector around the world, including a US nuclear power operator, the Justice Department says.

The Russian hackers targeted thousands of computers at hundreds of companies in 135 countries between 2012 and 2018, the department says. It is not immediately clear if Israel is among the countries targeted.

The Justice Department says the targets included a nuclear power facility in the US state of Kansas.

A Saudi petrochemical plant was also attacked in 2017 using the type of malware attributed to the Russian hackers.

According to the Justice Department, the Russians were employed by a Russian Ministry of Defense research institute and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

The unsealing of the indictments comes three days after US President Joe Biden warned of a growing Russian cyber threat against US businesses in response to Western sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.