US Gov’t Hackers Ready to Hit Back If Russia Tries to Disrupt Election
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the US deem it necessary, according to top-secret documents reviewed by NBC News.
American officials have long said publicly that Russia, China and other nations have probed and left hidden malware on parts of US critical infrastructure, "preparing the battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights or turn off the internet across major cities.
It's been widely assumed that the US has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News — along with remarks by a senior US intelligence official — confirm that, in the case of Russia.
US officials continue to claim that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt next week's presidential election. US intelligence officials do not expect Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media accounts designed to spread misinformation.
On Friday the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0" — which US officials say is a front for Russian intelligence — tweeted a threat to monitor the US elections "from inside the system."
The cyber weapons would only be deployed in the unlikely event the US was attacked in a significant way, officials say.
US military officials often say in general terms that the US possesses the world's most advanced cyber capabilities, but they will not discuss details of highly classified cyber weapons.
A senior US intelligence official said that, if Russia initiated a significant cyber attack against critical infrastructure, the US could take action to shut down some Russian systems — a sort of active defense.
Retired Adm. James Stavridis, who served as NATO commander of Europe, told NBC News that the US is well equipped to respond to any cyber attack.
"I think there's three things we should do if we see a significant cyber-attack," he said. "The first obviously is defending against it. The second is reveal: We should be publicizing what has happened so that any of this kind of cyber trickery can be unmasked. And thirdly, we should respond. Our response should be proportional."