Hackers have found a safe haven in Russia to attack foreign nations: US media reports

The US has accused Russia of operating as a refuge for hackers by allowing them to operate as long as their actions are aimed outside of the country. 

According to a media report published in the Washington Post, "the number of cyberattacks targeting the United States has recently increased, and the perpetrators all have one thing in common: they are believed to be tied to Russia."

According to the Washington Post, hackers have discovered a safe haven in Russia to carry out their assault. That’s because they function without fear of retaliation from Moscow, which appears to tolerate them as long as they don't target Russia or its friends. 

Watch: US faces gas shortage after pipeline cyberattack

In a 2016 interview with NBC, when asked why Russia was not arresting hackers believed to have interfered in the U.S. election, Putin hinted at the hands-off approach: “If they did not break Russian law, there is nothing to prosecute them for in Russia.”

The relationship between the Russian government and ransomware criminals allegedly operating from within the country is expected to be a point of tension between President Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at their planned summit in Geneva on Wednesday. 

US President Joe Biden and allies have said that the masterminds of DarkSide and REvil, the cybercriminal groups linked to recent high-profile ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline and the U.S. operations and other markets of JBS, a Brazil-based company and the world's largest meat supplier, appear to be based in Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)