Both The Guardian and Washington Post bolstered the claims about CISA by saying a recent speech on critical infrastructure cyber threats by a senior State Department official did not mention Russia. The story emerged on Friday around the same time as an exclusive report from Recorded Future News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions. “CISA’s mission is to defend against all cyber threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure, including from Russia,” CISA said on Sunday. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) refuted reports that changes are being made to how it approaches cyber threats from Russia. In addition to a near-constant stream of ransomware attacks on local U.S. government bodies often claimed by cybercriminal gangs known to be based in Russia, several of the most high-profile attacks on the federal government have been attributed to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the country’s GRU military intelligence service. In follow-up reporting, the Washington Post and New York Times said the order was apparently an effort to bring Russia to the negotiating table as President Donald Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine. CISA’s mission is to defend against all cyber threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure, including from Russia. The Washington Post reported that a “private sector consultant familiar with the matter” told them that CISA has moved some cyberthreat experts onto other adversaries besides Russia, reflecting a potential shift in priorities. Trump officials have advocated for military action against Mexican cartel figures and infrastructure to stem the flow of drugs across the border, Recorded Future News reported. There was significant backlash over the weekend from U.S. lawmakers, with members of Congress from both parties criticizing any potential change in the country’s cyber posture with respect to Russian cyberattacks. The story about the Defense Department order came after Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a public argument about the war in the Oval Office.
This Cyber News was published on therecord.media. Publication date: Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:20:06 +0000