U.S. Cyber Command Instructed to Stop Offensive Operations Against Russia

According to a March 2 article from CNN, Pete Hegseth, defense secretary, instructed the U.S. Cyber Command to stop offensive operations against Russia in the middle of last month.

The Record first reported on Cyber Command’s suspension of planning related to Russia on Feb. 28.

The article from CNN stated, “The suspension is ‘a major blow,’ the official said [a senior U.S. official was quoted in this article], especially since planning for such operations takes time and research to carry out. The concern, the official said, is that the pause on offensive cyber operations against Russia will make the US more vulnerable to potential cyberattacks from Moscow, which has a formidable cadre of hackers capable of disrupting US critical infrastructure and collecting sensitive intelligence.”

Further, “The pause in operations and planning from U.S. Cyber Command, the military’s offensive and defensive cyber unit, comes as the Trump administration has sought a broader détente with Russia three years into Moscow’s war against Ukraine.”

Russian threat actors are known to target the healthcare industry.  

According to the article from CNN, The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency posted Sunday night on X that its mission is to “defend against all cyber threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure, including from Russia.”

“There has been no change in our posture,” the agency said. “Any reporting to the contrary is fake and undermines our national security.”