U.S., Britain accuse Russia of staging global cyberattack

The United States and Britain in a joint statement released Monday accused Russia of launching cyberattacks and planting malware on global internet equipment used across government and private sectors. The two countries said the campaign of political and economic espionage affected government, internet service providers, private businesses, and critical infrastructure providers. It could lay the foundation for future offensive cyberattacks, the statement said. Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said the attacks targeted about 400 Australian companies but amounted to no “exploitation of significance.” The U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team said the “victims were identified through a coordinated series of actions between U.S. and international partners.” Russia has yet to respond to the accusations.