Moscow Rejects U.S. Ransomware Attack Claims

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: The US State Department's statement terming Russia a safe haven for cybercriminals who carry out malicious activities against the United States and its allies is propaganda against Moscow, the Russian media reported.
These attacks against Russia are another propaganda campaign and anti-Russian scenarios, the embassy added.
The Russian Embassy noted that the specialized communication channels used to discuss information security were limited precisely at the initiative and in line with the US administration's propaganda campaign.
If US officials are truly interested in an equal and professional dialogue, they will know where and how to address their concerns about cybercrime, the diplomats stressed.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday charged and sanctioned two senior members of the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) for their involvement in cyberattacks on critical US infrastructure.
It claimed that the group has carried out cyber attacks in Ukraine and other countries, and has also claimed responsibility for attacks on critical infrastructure in the US and Europe since last year.
"Russia continues to provide a safe haven to cybercriminals and enable their malicious cyber activities against the United States and its allies and partners," the U.S. Treasury Department said. 
"While CARR’s lack of sophistication and victims’ responses have thus far prevented any instances of major damage, unauthorized access to critical infrastructure systems poses an elevated risk of harm to the public and can result in devastating humanitarian consequences," it added.
"Today’s action furthers our efforts to combat foreign malicious cyber activity and sends a clear message that this activity will not be tolerated.  We will continue to disrupt cybercriminals who seek to undermine our critical infrastructure and that of our partners," it stated./IRNA