Russia denies ‘feeble’ US, UK charges of internet tampering

Russia is denying charges from the United States and Britain that its agents have planted malware on key internet equipment to spy on rivals, steal trade secrets and potentially launch cyberattacks.

A Kremlin spokesman on Tuesday called the accusations unfounded and “feeble.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre lodged the accusation Monday. They said Russian agents have targeted routers and other networking equipment at “government and private-sector organizations,” other providers of “critical infrastructure” and internet service providers.

A companion technical alert issued by the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team said both nations have “high confidence” in the finding of Russian-sponsored cyber-meddling.

Australia also admonished Russia and accused Kremlin-backed hackers of cyberattacks on hundreds of Australian companies last year.