Ransomware hackers remain largely out of reach behind Russia’s cybercurtain

Fuel holding tanks are seen at Colonial Pipeline's Linden Junction Tank Farm on Monday, May 10, 2021, in Woodbridge, New Jersey. — Getty Images/TNS

WASHINGTON: US authorities are running into a major obstacle in holding hackers responsible for an onslaught of ransomware attacks: The extortionists remain out of reach in Russia, safely ensconced behind a cybercurtain as difficult to penetrate as the iron one that defined the Cold War.

Recent high-profile ransomware assaults have added urgency to US government efforts to combat Russia-linked hackers who have disrupted East Coast US fuel supplies, raised fears about nationwide meat shortages and exposed sensitive files from a Southern California police force. The problem, Justice Department officials say, is that the Kremlin believes it benefits from allowing such hackers to target US interests, gathering valuable intelligence in the process.