SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia's Power Grid. Officials described the move into Russia's grid and other targets as a classified companion to more publicly discussed action directed at Moscow's disinformation and hacking units around the 2018 midterm elections. (VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images)
US Attacks Russia's Power Grid; Trump Kept in Dark
'The question now is whether placing the equivalent of land mines in a foreign power network is the right way to deter Russia'
Jun 16, 2019
The New York Times is reporting that the United States is cyber attacking Russia's electric power grid and other targets--and that President Donald Trump is being kept out of the loop.
"The American strategy has shifted more toward offense, officials say, with the placement of potentially crippling malware inside the Russian system at a depth and with an aggressiveness that had never been tried before."
Trump has not been briefed on the operation because of "the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials."
The Times wrote:
"Two administration officials said they believed Mr. Trump had not been briefed in any detail about the steps to place 'implants' -- software code that can be used for surveillance or attack -- inside the Russian grid.
" Pentagon and intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction -- and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned a sensitive operation in Syria to the Russian foreign minister."
New cyber laws were granted to the U.S. Cyber Command by the White House and Congress last year allowing such "clandestine military activity" in cyberspace to go ahead without the president's approval.
Trump has lashed back at The Times, accusing the newspaper of committing a "virtual act of treason" over its reporting.
More importantly, The Times article asked:
"The question now is whether placing the equivalent of land mines in a foreign power network is the right way to deter Russia. While it parallels Cold War nuclear strategy, it also enshrines power grids as a legitimate target."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The New York Times is reporting that the United States is cyber attacking Russia's electric power grid and other targets--and that President Donald Trump is being kept out of the loop.
"The American strategy has shifted more toward offense, officials say, with the placement of potentially crippling malware inside the Russian system at a depth and with an aggressiveness that had never been tried before."
Trump has not been briefed on the operation because of "the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials."
The Times wrote:
"Two administration officials said they believed Mr. Trump had not been briefed in any detail about the steps to place 'implants' -- software code that can be used for surveillance or attack -- inside the Russian grid.
" Pentagon and intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction -- and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned a sensitive operation in Syria to the Russian foreign minister."
New cyber laws were granted to the U.S. Cyber Command by the White House and Congress last year allowing such "clandestine military activity" in cyberspace to go ahead without the president's approval.
Trump has lashed back at The Times, accusing the newspaper of committing a "virtual act of treason" over its reporting.
More importantly, The Times article asked:
"The question now is whether placing the equivalent of land mines in a foreign power network is the right way to deter Russia. While it parallels Cold War nuclear strategy, it also enshrines power grids as a legitimate target."
The New York Times is reporting that the United States is cyber attacking Russia's electric power grid and other targets--and that President Donald Trump is being kept out of the loop.
"The American strategy has shifted more toward offense, officials say, with the placement of potentially crippling malware inside the Russian system at a depth and with an aggressiveness that had never been tried before."
Trump has not been briefed on the operation because of "the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials."
The Times wrote:
"Two administration officials said they believed Mr. Trump had not been briefed in any detail about the steps to place 'implants' -- software code that can be used for surveillance or attack -- inside the Russian grid.
" Pentagon and intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction -- and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned a sensitive operation in Syria to the Russian foreign minister."
New cyber laws were granted to the U.S. Cyber Command by the White House and Congress last year allowing such "clandestine military activity" in cyberspace to go ahead without the president's approval.
Trump has lashed back at The Times, accusing the newspaper of committing a "virtual act of treason" over its reporting.
More importantly, The Times article asked:
"The question now is whether placing the equivalent of land mines in a foreign power network is the right way to deter Russia. While it parallels Cold War nuclear strategy, it also enshrines power grids as a legitimate target."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.