Reports say the US has halted offensive cyber operations against Russia amid the Trump administration’s efforts to give Moscow concessions to end the war in Ukraine.
Records show that the reported order to halt US launch hacking operations against Russia was approved by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses. The new guidance will affect operations carried out by US Cyber Command, a Department of Defense division focused on hacking and operation in cyberspace, but it does not apply to espionage carried out by the National Security Agency.
The reported order has been confirmed by the New York Times and the Washington Post.
The order was carried over before an oval office meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelenki on Friday. The New York Times said the direction came as part of a broader effort to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
US Cyber Command and Pentagon did not respond to TechCrunch questions, but senior defense officials told the record they “have not discussed cyber intelligence, planning or operations.”
The Guardian also reports that the Trump administration no longer views Russian hackers as a cybersecurity threat, and that the US cybersecurity agency CISA reportedly ordered them to stop reporting on Russian threats. The newspaper cites recent memos that set new CISA priorities, including the threats facing China and the protection of local systems, but the memos did not mention Russia. CISA employees reportedly were verbally notified that they were to suspend work on Russia’s cyber threats.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the CISA, declined to report in a statement to TechCrunch.
Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the memo was not from the Trump administration and “CISA is still committed to dealing with all cyber threats to critical infrastructure from Russia.”
“There hasn’t been any change in attitudes or priorities on this front,” McLaughlin told TechCrunch.
The reported changes in the Trump administration’s US policy towards Russia come just a few months after the US intelligence agency said Russia would pose a “permanent cyber threat” to the United States. In its annual threat assessment, the US warned that Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Reporting Agency (SVR) continues to target US government agencies and critical infrastructure such as underwater cable and industrial control systems.
Over the past few years, the US government has also taken action against the momentum of Russian cybercriminals. It successfully disrupts the infrastructure of a Russian-related ransomware group, reviving millions with ransom payments paid to Russian hackers, targeting unknown Russian hackers and indictments.
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