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The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has said there has been “no change” in its posture regarding Russian cyber threats.
The US government agency responsible for the nation’s cyber security has responded to media claims that it is going soft on Russian cyber crime and espionage.
“CISA’s mission is to defend against all cyber threats to US critical infrastructure, including from Russia,” a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a post on X.
“There has been no change in our posture. Any reporting to the contrary is fake and undermines our national security.”
The suggestion that the agency was going soft emerged in the wake of anonymous reports that the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, had directed the Pentagon’s Cyber Command to “stand down” certain operations regarding Russian activity, likely as a part of the thaw in relations between the two countries.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the pause in activity was designed to aid in talks between the US and Russia regarding a peace deal in Ukraine.
CISA became involved in the story when it emerged that Liesyl Franz, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security within the Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, had told a UN cyber security working group that the US sees Iran and China as major cyber threats, but she did not mention Russia.
Russian ransomware gangs are seen as one of the greatest threats to US private and public sector entities. At the same time, pro-Russian hacktivists continue to target Ukrainian government agencies and other NATO and European countries involved in backing Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression.
A Defense Department spokesperson refused to comment on Hegseth’s alleged orders to stand down against Russia, telling cyber security media outlet The Record: “Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations. There is no greater priority to Secretary Hegseth than the safety of the warfighter in all operations, to include the cyber domain.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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