Russia launches cyber army in fear of cyber attacks

World Today

Russia’s launched a recruitment drive for so-called “cyber soldiers”, as it looks to boost its cyber capabilities amid global tension over the issue.

Moscow has been accused of using cyber-attacks against Western governments. That includes the United States, whose FBI said Moscow was behind recent leaks of Democratic Party emails. But Russia said it faces cyber threats from the U.S. and is therefore calling on specialists to join its forces.

CCTV’s Julia Lyubova reports from Moscow. Follow Julia Lyubova on Twitter @julialyubova

The teams the Ministry of Defense recruits are known as ‘research squadrons’. It hires personnel through specialist websites and by posting ads on social media.

Russia’s cyber operations came under the spotlight recently when the FBI accused Moscow of using hackers to try to influence the U.S. Presidential vote. A hacking group, known as FancyBears, recently hacked and published sensitive data about Olympic athletes after the world anti-doping agency recommended that Russian athletes should be banned from this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Some in the industry suggest the group is associated with the Russian intelligence.

Russia denies any involvement in recent hacking cases. However, the Kremlin has been accused of using cyber-attacks against Western governments – Moscow said it too faces ‘unprecedented’ cyber threats.

In order to protect against cyber threats, the U.S. Department of Defense announced plans to expand its Cyber Mission Force by 2018. And Russia’s ‘research squadrons’ could soon become a ‘cyber army’.