NEW YORK: With tensions between Russia and Ukraine at an all-time high, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that vital infrastructure and local government networks are at "severe risk" of a Russian-sponsored cyber attack.

According to the DHS notification, Russia "maintains a spectrum of offensive cyber weapons that it may utilise against US networks - from low-level denial-of-service operations to damaging attacks targeting vital infrastructure," as per reports

"We believe Russia would contemplate launching a cyber strike against the Homeland if it believed a US or NATO reaction to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine posed a long-term danger to its national security," the notification continued. The document was delivered to state governments, local governments, and critical infrastructure operators by the Department of Homeland Security.

Despite US-Russia tensions over Ukraine, the Department of Homeland Security believes Moscow's threshold for executing disruptive or damaging cyberattacks on the US homeland is "likely very high."

Due to growing tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, the US Department of Defense has placed roughly 8,500 troops on high alert for a prospective deployment, although no decision on formal deployments has been made. If Russia continues to target Ukrainian official websites, US President Joe Biden said last week that the US might reply with its own cyber attacks.

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