MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax-AVN) - A total of 1.2 million hacker attacks on information resources of Russian authorities and crucial facilities were foiled in 2008, Russian FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said.
"More than 280,000 of them were directed against the website of the Russian president," Bortnikov told the heads of leading Russian media organizations on Thursday.
Over 230 criminal cases were opened into violating information security in 2008, while over 20 people were convicted, he said.
International hacker groups included Russian and Bulgarian nationals, who were sentenced for producing illegal credit cards, the FSB director said.
Over 4,300 violations in the area of exploiting radio electronic means and high frequency devices were exposed in joint operations by the Federal Communications and Mass Media Oversight Service, Rossvyazkomnadzor, the Interior Ministry and the Federal Customs Service. Around 2,500 individuals and organizations were held to criminal responsibility and fines amounting to over 9 million rubles were imposed, Bortnikov said.