US plans covert cyberattacks against Russia, US report

Washington: Russia was involved in a major cyber-attack on US government departments last year. US officials have indicated that the US administration has prepared to respond to the Russian hack, and covert cyber-attacks would be launched on Russian networks. A leading American daily has published a report that makes the claim.

Last year, private US companies such as Microsoft, FireEye and SolarWinds were targeted by Russian cyber-attacks. Russian hackers used the companies to carry out cyber-attacks on crucial government departments’ networks in the United States. These included the Departments of Defense, Energy, Finance and Trade. In a startling revelation, the US nuclear networks were also found to have been breached in the attacks.

Mike Pompeo, then US Secretary of State, acknowledged that Russia had a hand in the cyber-attack, saying, ‘This was a very significant effort. I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity.’ Top US investigative and intelligence agencies have confirmed Pompeo’s claims. After that, Joe Biden, who took over the presidency in January, instructed the administration to submit a response plan.

Jack Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, and Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor, have been assigned to the case. Neuberger has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser to the Department of Cyber and Emerging Technologies and has previously served as an officer at the National Security Agency. They will likely use their experience to target critical networks in Russia. Reportedly, the attacks are to target Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Russia’s intelligence and military agencies.

The action is expected to take place in the next three weeks. In addition to covert cyber-attacks, US plans are also in place to impose aggressive sanctions. A few days ago, the US had also announced tough sanctions on Russia over the Navalny case. It included close associates of President Putin.

After Russia’s hack, China was found to have launched a major cyber-attack. Although the Biden administration has warned that the cyber-attack is an active threat, no action has yet been taken against it.

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