Zi Yang
In late February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth instructed the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) to halt offensive cyber operations against Russia. Although the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) pledged to continue defending U.S. critical infrastructure from Russian threats, reports surfaced by March 2 that CISA analysts have been verbally ordered to pause monitoring and reporting on Russian cyber activities, and even abandon a project relating to Russia.
However, by March 3, a CISA spokesperson denied the agency’s shift in cybersecurity priorities and affirmed that it will continue to monitor Russian threats. The Pentagon also issued a similar denial regarding the pause of offensive USCYBERCOM operations against Russia. There have been no reports to date on the National Security Agency pausing its offensive operations against Russia.
These confusing developments match the Trump administration’s pattern of frequent policy flip-flops, lack of transparency, and a tendency to gaslight the press. So far, major news agencies, such as The Guardian, BBC, New York Times, and the Associated Press have stood by their reports on the pause in offensive cyber operations against Russia, raising further questions regarding the current U.S. cybersecurity posture. To err on the side of caution, this article will describe the reported pause as a “potential pause.”
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