FBI 'concerned' about Russian cyberattacks on critical US infrastructure: Wray

The agency director echoed President Biden's warning on Monday.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday the FBI is "concerned' with the possibility of Russian cyberattacks against critical U.S. infrastructure in the wake of Russia's war with Ukraine.

"The reason we're concerned about it is not just based on our longstanding understanding of how the Russians operate, but it's actually the product of specific investigative work and surveillance work that we've been doing all together," Wray told an audience at the Detroit Economic Forum. "Most cyberattacks don't just happen in an instant. There's activity that leads up to it. There's scanning and researching, researching a victim, scanning for vulnerabilities and systems. There's developing access to those systems. So, there's a whole range of proprietary work, which is what we've been seeing."

It comes as the FBI has seen five U.S. energy companies have their systems scanned, according to a source familiar with the situation, outlined in an agency bulletin first reported by CBS News. ABC News has confirmed the bulletin's contents.

"Today, with the ongoing conflict raging in Ukraine, we're particularly focused on the destructive cyber threat posed by the Russian intel services, and cybercriminal groups they protect and support," Wray said in prepared remarks. "We have cyber personnel working closely with the Ukrainians and our other allies abroad, and with the private sector and our partners here."