BISHKEK, May 24. /TASS/. NATO countries have significantly increased offensive cyber operations in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov said, assessing the existing threats to the security of the Commonwealth countries at a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services in Bishkek.

"The huge increase in the intensity of offensive cyberattacks by NATO countries against the critical information infrastructure of CIS countries is of great concern. They are primarily attacking computer systems in the public, industrial, energy, transportation and banking industry. The infrastructure of transnational IT corporations is widely used by Western intelligence services and hacker communities to create cyber threats," the FSB director noted.

He emphasized the information security issue. "Undoubtedly, the rapid development of information and communication technologies helps society. However, the flip side of this is the high vulnerability of the digital environment," Bortnikov stated. "We record an annual increase in the number of cyberattacks, with their scale also growing. We note their focus on inflicting maximum damage to their targets," he said.

Internet schemes to earn money for terrorist and extremist organizations have also become widespread. "Channels of hidden financing of criminal activity through digital assets and electronic payment means that guarantee anonymity of transactions are on the rise," he added.