US Engaged in Cyber Operations Against Russia

The head of the U.S. Cyber Command and National Security Agency (NSA) confirmed that the United States conducted cyber operations after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations,” NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone said in an interview published on June 1. That includes “offensive hacking operations” he said, without elaborating on the details.
Nakasone, who is a four-star general, said the operations were lawful and conducted with civilian oversight. His interview with Sky News is the first official confirmation that the United States is engaged in a digital conflict against Russia in its bid to support Ukraine.
Smoke rises during shelling in the city of Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine, on May 21, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)“My job is to provide a series of options to the secretary of defense and the president, and so that’s what I do,” he told Sky News, a British news channel. It isn’t clear when the operations started or how many have taken place since the invasion started on Feb. 24.
“We remain vigilant every single day. Every single day. I think about it all the time,” he said. “This is why we’re working with a series of partners to ensure we prevent that, not only against the United States but against our allies as well.”
Nakasone also detailed how so-called hunt forward operations enabled the United States to track down hackers and find their tools before they could be deployed. In one such operation, according to Nakasone, U.S. military specialists were present in Ukraine near the date of the invasion.
“We went in December 2021 at the invitation of the Kyiv government to come and hunt with them. We stayed there for a period o …

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