MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Over 120,000 cyber attacks on Russia’s critical infrastructure were carried out in 2020, a significant number of them originated in the US, Germany and the Netherlands, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Thursday during the Moscow Conference on International Security.
Russia is often subjected to unfriendly actions in the cyber sphere, he said.
"In 2020, over 120,000 cyber attacks were registered on our critical infrastructure. A significant portion of them were carried out from the territory of the US, Germany and the Netherlands, targeting state government objects, military-industrial enterprises, healthcare, transport, research and education facilities of our country," Patrushev said.
He noted that Russia is often "groundlessly accused of carrying out cyber attacks against Western states". "And this is despite the fact that through NATO, the West has officially declared cyberspace a place for military actions," the security chief said, stressing that Moscow is promoting the notion of developing common rules of responsible conduct in the cyber sphere and a transparent investigation mechanism of cyber incidents.
"We find it important to ensure non-politicized cooperation between the states with the aim of creating a global international information security system," Patrushev said. He added that these efforts should be open and inclusive.
He added that Russia actively cooperates with other countries within the UN and other organizations in this sphere. According to the Russian security official, the need for such formats of cooperation is becoming more obvious as information technologies are turning into an important factor of strategic stability.