Russian 'cyber militia' knocks Kyrgyzstan offline

Researchers have not found any direct connection between the attacks -- which originate on botnets and servers that more mundanely send pharmaceutical spam or conduct phishing campaigns -- and the Russian government. But to Jackson, that hardly matters.

"People who once were in the KGB, or other parts of the government, and who now are in computer security, have in the past said, 'We will rely on this capability because there is no risk for us doing so,'" said Jackson. "Using cyber militias shelters the Russian government from culpability."