WASHINGTON, November 4. /TASS/. The United States has seen "a discernible decrease" in cyberattacks on US targets from Russian territory, White House National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

"We have seen a discernible decrease. It’s too soon to tell whether that is because of the material efforts undertaken by the Russians or the Russian leadership," he pointed out, when asked if the number of cyberattacks from Russian territory had changed since the Russia-US summit in Geneva in June. "It may well be that the transgressors in this space have simply kind of lain low, understanding that this is for the moment a very hot time for them, and we need to make sure that that continues to be the case," Inglis noted.

"I think in the longer term, we will be able to measure in a qualitative and a quantitative fashion what the diminishment of those efforts are," the White House official stressed. "For the moment, I think it’s too soon to tell, we therefore need to ensure that our strategy is solidified and brought to bear," he added.

In early May, the DarkSide group hacked the United States' Colonial Pipeline company. According to US intelligence agencies, DarkSide may be based in Russia or some other Eastern European country but is not linked to any government. On May 31, the US branch of the JBS meat processing company came under a cyberattack. The White House said that the REvil hackers allegedly based in Russia were behind the attack. The media said that the same group was responsible for a hacking attack on the Kaseya software company in early July.

On June 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed cyberattack accusations against Moscow as ridiculous. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia was ready to promptly consider Washington's requests concerning the JSB cyberattack if there were any. Peskov also noted that the Kremlin had not received any requests in relation to the Kaseya cyberattack.

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States held talks in Geneva on June 16. It was their first face-to-face meeting as heads of state and the first Russia-US summit since 2018. The two leaders said in a joint statement that the parties planned to launch comprehensive dialogue on strategic stability. In addition, Russia and the US also intend to start consultations on cybersecurity, prisoner swaps and arms control.