Is the US scaling back its fight against Russian cyber threats under Trump?

According to a report by The Guardian, analysts at US cybersecurity agency Cisa have been instructed not to track or report on Russian cyber activities, despite these being a major focus previously

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa), a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly been asked to revisit its priorities with a reduced focus on Russian cyber threats. The Guardian has reported that the Cisa analysts have been instructed not to track or report on Russian cyber activities, despite these being a major focus previously. The shift, outlined in a recent memorandum, has placed greater emphasis on China and domestic system protection while omitting any mention of Russia.

 

Cisa’s changing priorities

 

Citing a person familiar with the matter, The Guardian reported that analysts at the agency were verbally informed that they were not to follow or report on Russian threats, even though this had previously been a main focus for the agency. 

 

 

A recent memorandum issued by Cisa, a division of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for overseeing cyber threats to critical US infrastructure, outlined a revised set of priorities, the British daily said. The document emphasised concerns related to China and the protection of domestic systems, while omitting any reference to Russia.  

 

The source was quoted as saying that work related to Russian activities had effectively been halted. They expressed concern that both Russia and China posed the most significant threats, adding that widespread cuts across various agencies had led to job losses among cybersecurity personnel. As a result, US systems were now vulnerable, and adversaries were well aware of this, the report mentioned.  

 

Additionally, there was a growing perception that Russia was gaining the upper hand, suggesting that President Vladimir Putin had now secured influence within the system, it noted.   

 

In response to these concerns, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that Cisa remained committed to addressing all cyber threats targeting US critical infrastructure, including those from Russia. She affirmed that there had been no changes in the agency’s stance or priorities in this regard.  

 

Trump’s deepening ties with Russia

 

Trump’s growing softness towards Moscow has been very apparent since the beginning of his second term as US President. Earlier last week, at the United Nations, the US had voted alongside Russia in opposing a resolution backed by the European Union and Ukraine, which condemned Moscow on the third anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.  

 

Subsequently, the US abstained from voting on its alternative resolution after France and other European nations successfully amended it to acknowledge Russia as the aggressor. These developments coincided with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.  

 

Trump had also claimed that Kyiv had initiated the war and warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needed to act swiftly to negotiate a resolution, or risk losing his country. Zelensky dismissed the remarks, asserting that Trump was operating within a ‘disinformation space’ crafted by Russia.