Three unnamed US officials said that US Cyber Command (Cybercom) used offensive cyber actions against Russian and Iranian hackers to prevent disruptions of US midterm elections. Cybercom also used offensive methods against cyber adversaries during the 2018 and 2020 election cycles.
Note
- This should not be surprising to anyone given that the Commander, US Cyber Command, has publicly stated that they will ‘defend forward’. This policy statement translates to execution of offensive cyber operations to protect critical infrastructure.
- Kudos to Cybercom for thwarting adversaries. Even so, be very careful with offensive operations, while you may think you’re prepared for someone to poke back, consider their escalation model, particularly if construed as an act of war.
