The U.S. intelligence community warned in an alert on Wednesday that Russia-sponsored hackers have attempted to infiltrate computer networks belonging to Department of Defense contractors between January 2020 and February 2022.
"During this two-year period, these actors have maintained persistent access to multiple CDC networks, in some cases for at least six months," the alert read. "In instances when the actors have successfully obtained access, the FBI, NSA, and CISA have noted regular and recurring exfiltration of emails and data."
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Security Agency claimed that Russia had acquired emails containing sensitive information and "export-controlled technology" owned by the contractors.
According to the three agencies, a compromise in 2021 against an undisclosed contractor resulted in hackers obtaining hundreds of documents related to its products, global relationships, and internal matters.
The three agencies have not revealed which specific contractors have been targeted, according to Axios. However, they did disclose that the targeted companies are involved with weapons and missile development, vehicle and aircraft design, software development, information technologies, data analytics, and logistics.
"By acquiring proprietary internal documents and email communications, adversaries may be able to adjust their own military plans and priorities, hasten technological development efforts, inform foreign policymakers of U.S. intentions, and target potential sources for recruitment," the agencies added.
The concern of infiltration into U.S. networks comes after Ukraine suffered multiple cyberattacks over the last couple of months that Ukrainian officials have either claimed or implied were conducted by Russia.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and two state-linked banks were hit with a cyberattack that the country's administration implied was conducted by Russia, Reuters reported.
The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security said it has "not ruled out that the aggressor used tactics of little dirty tricks because its aggressive plans are not working out on a large scale," seemingly a reference to Russia's continual buildup of troops on their border.
The country previously blamed Russia for a cyberattack on government websites that occurred in January, according to The Hill.
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