Did Russia Hack Into JPMorgan Chase? FBI Set To Investigate

The FBI has launched a probe into a financial data breach carried out by suspected Russian hackers in what is believed to be retaliation for U.S. imposed financial sanctions, Bloomberg has learned.

In August, JPMorgan Chase and at least one other bank had their systems breached by hackers who stole sensitive financial data, anonymous sources close to the investigation told Bloomberg.

One attack saw the use of a software glitch on one of the banks' websites known as a zero-day vulnerability. This method, along with the ease with which the suspects sifted through the data, led investigators to suspect they were dealing with government-trained hackers.

The breach comes at a time of tense relations between Russia and the U.S., which over the past few months imposed sanctions in response to Moscow's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

"Russia has a policy of reactionary attacks in relation to political contexts," John Hultquist, an iSIght expert who did not confirm knowing about the attack, told Bloomberg. "When it comes to countries outside their sphere of influence, those attacks would be more surreptitious."

Furthermore, Russia's foreign ministry accused JPMorgan of "illegal and absurd" actions when it blocked a payment from a Russian embassy to a U.S. sanctioned affiliate bank, Bloomberg reported.

The attack also comes during a recent spike in data breaches that have been traced back to hackers in Russia and other eastern European countries. During Target's massive data breach last year, the information stolen was reportedly sent back to a server in Russia.

As the FBI conducts its investigation, which is still in the preliminary stages, JPMorgan wants the public to know it is equipped to deal with any possible attack.

"Companies of our size unfortunately experience cyber attacks nearly every day," Patricia Wexler, a spokeswoman for the New York-based bank, told Bloomberg. "We have multiple layers of defense to counteract any threats and constantly monitor fraud levels."