Russia is laying the foundations for huge future hacks

That’s according to a joint announcement by American and British cyber-cops.

Network hacks: The US Department for Homeland Security, the FBI, and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre warn that Russian hackers have targeted network infrastructure, like routers, belonging to organizations including energy networks, emergency services, and the military.

Why it matters: The FBI says it has “high confidence” that Russian state-sponsored hackers are using the affected hardware to perform espionage, maintain access to networks, and “lay a foundation for future offensive operations.”

Plus: The officials also say that—surprise!—Russians could use propaganda to smear politicians.

What happens now: Russia’s cyber chops are clearly still growing. So are tensions between the nation and America. And, as the BBC notes, the US is likely to be conducting similar preparatory operations in Russia. The question now is, does all that escalation act as a mutual deterrent to prevent a huge cyber-conflict or not?