The United States has announced that it has suspended offensive cyber operations against Russia as part of efforts to reach agreements with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
According to reports, the order to halt operations was issued by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegsethin and affects cyber operations conducted by U.S. Cyber Command (a division of the Department of Defense). However, this order does not impact espionage operations carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA).
The order was issued prior to a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It was intended to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Additionally, the United States has indicated that it no longer considers Russian cyberattackers a significant threat, and has instructed CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) not to report on cyber threats from Russia. However, CISA has denied this claim, stating that it will continue to protect U.S. critical infrastructure.
In recent months, the U.S. intelligence community had warned that Russia posed an "enduring cyber threat" to the United States. During this period, the U.S. carried out various operations against Russian-linked cybercriminals, disrupting their infrastructure, recovering millions of dollars, and targeting several prominent Russian hackers with sanctions.
