Hegseth Opens The Gates To Russian Cyber Attack

En·​e·​my – ˈe-nə-mē (Noun): one that is antagonistic to another; a: a military adversary, b: a hostile unit or force. Example: Russia has been an enemy of the United States since the end of World War II and continues to engage in hostile actions against the country. Apparently, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doesn’t understand the word, the definition, or the severity of the threat Russia poses to the US. On Friday morning, February 28, before the meltdown between Ukraine’s President Zelensky and US President Shitforbrains, Hegseth decided it would be a good time to stop all offensive cyber measures against Russia.

The US Cyber Command, which is responsible for seeking out and thwarting cyber attacks against the country and its critical infrastructure, was told to ‘stand down’ from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions. The order does not affect Homeland Security which operates its own cyber division. However, US Cyber Command is by far the larger operation with more than 2,000 people focused specifically on Russia.

Is this really that big of a deal? Uhm, yeah. Russia is a bastion for cybercrime, with state-linked and criminal ransomware actors striking targets around the globe. Over the past year, ransomware attacks on American hospitals, infrastructure, and cities have ramped up, many emanating from Russia in what intelligence officials have said are largely criminal acts that have been sanctioned, or ignored, by Russian intelligence agencies.

Sabotage efforts in Europe — including suspected Russian attempts to cut communications cables, mysterious explosions, and Russian-directed assassination plots, including against the chief executive of Germany’s largest arms maker — have accelerated in the past year. Most cybercrime defense in Europe is handled by Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters and they will likely continue their efforts.

But make no mistake about it, the US has opened the floodgates for Russia to step up all manner of cyberattacks against US infrastructure and any individuals it considers threatening to its position. The administration had already begun to dismantle efforts by the FBI and other agencies to thwart cyberterrorism. This order has the effect of opening the gates wide and letting the Russians march right on inside.

Why? Allegedly, this was a carrot offered to get the Russians to the negotiating table on Ukraine. However, since Friday’s dustup with Zelensky, Russian officials have made it clear that the US and Russia are already on the same page and that their intentions align nicely.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said in a statement that Mr. Trump appeared to be giving Mr. Putin “a free pass as Russia continues to launch cyber operations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure.” He called the administration’s move “a critical strategic mistake.”

Republicans, on the other hand, appeared to be somewhat blindsided by the move. Asked about the pause on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday morning, Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said, “I’m unaware of that. I don’t believe — there are too many, I’m certain, considerations there for that to be an accurate statement so blanket.” Given that Turner sits on the House Armed Services Committee, one might think that he would have been advised of such a move in advance.

Over on CNN’s State of the Union, national security adviser Mike Waltz was also caught off-guard, claiming that the pause had not been part of any official discussions in which he was involved. This raises the question of whether the pause was one of Hegseth’s not-so-bright ideas or if it came from higher up in the administration (not that there’s much higher to go).

One thing for certain is that this move is a direct threat to the safety of the people of the United States, one for which Hegseth could be tried for treason if it goes horribly wrong. Late last year Microsoft found Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had targeted government employees and others in dozens of countries to gain access to their devices and systems. Not having Cyber Command on the job could expose private sector entities in the U.S. and around the world to greater risk if the command is not keeping Moscow’s intelligence and military services, which both feature notorious hacker groups, at bay.

The administration is putting a lot of trust into Russia’s cooperation and them not doing anything stupid. Do we really want to take that chance, though? Wiser minds would say no.