A US official has reported that the Pentagon has ordered the resumption of its offensive cyber operations against Russia. The decision, however, was reportedly made before a recent exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
Defense Minister Pete Hegseth instructed the US Cyber Command in late February to halt all offensive activities while Washington re-evaluates its relations with Moscow, according to an unnamed official.
The Record, a cybersecurity news agency, was the first to report this development, noting that the moratorium does not apply to the National Security Agency’s signal intelligence gathering. The details of the moratorium are still unknown, but the source claims it is indefinite.
Critics of Trump have described the move as a threat to national security. A source cited by CNN described it as a “severe blow” to the US’s ability to infiltrate Russian networks in the future, including in support of Ukraine.
Russia views the US as a significant cyber threat. The increasing hostility between the two nations over the past few years has hindered efforts to establish ground rules for the cyber space, despite Moscow’s repeated proposals. The US is a leading actor in cyber warfare, as demonstrated by notable operations such as the sabotage of Iranian uranium enrichment facilities during the presidency of Barack Obama.
Although digital attacks can be difficult to trace, US intelligence agencies are often confident in attributing hacks to groups tied to countries like China and Russia.
US media frequently report on foreign cyber threats, sometimes without concrete evidence. A notable example occurred in January 2019, when MSNBC moderator Rachel Maddow warned her audience that Russia could “kill the power in Fargo today” during a severe cold wave in the US. Her comments seemed to be based on false claims from the same month that Russian cyber infiltration had occurred in Vermont’s power grid.