Report: Defense Secretary Hegseth orders Cyber Command to halt Russia planning – News

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to halt “all planning against Russia,” The Record reported today.

The cybersecurity publication cited three sources as saying that Hegseth issued the directive last week. It reportedly affects, among other activities, the planning of offensive cybersecurity operations.

The Record’s sources said that Hegseth issued the guidance to Cyber Command Commander Timothy Haugh, who is also the head of the U.S. National Security Agency. The directive is not believed to affect the NSA or its Russia-focused signals intelligence work. Haugh reportedly relayed the guidance to Ryan Heritage, the Cyber Command’s outgoing director of operations.

In response to the order, officials have reportedly begun preparing a document described as a risk assessment. It’s a report that contains an acknowledgment the Cyber Command has received Hegseth’s instructions. Additionally, the document is said to include a list of ongoing cyber activities that were halted as a result of the guidance as well as information on cyberthreats from Russia.

In 2023, Russian state-backed hackers compromised SolarWinds Inc.’s systems and issued a malicious update to its Orion network management platform. The malware was distributed to thousands of enterprises and government organizations. Since the breach, researchers have also uncovered numerous other cyberattacks launched by Russian hackers.  

Today’s report about Hegseth’s order comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a tense meeting in the White House. It was organized to discuss a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. The meeting was cut short following a heated exchange between the two leaders.

According to Recorded Future, the Cyber Command has between 2,000 to 3,000 employees. Those employees work alongside NSA members and about 5,800 armed service members. The latter group is organized into teams that conduct both defense and offense cybersecurity operations.

If Hegseth’s order only applies to the armed service members focused on Russia, it will reportedly affect several hundred cybersecurity experts. The Record estimates that several thousand personnel could be affected if the guidance also encompasses other teams. According to the publication, those other teams focus on tasks such as intelligence analysis and capabilities development. 

Officials have reportedly been told that Hegseth’s order will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. An unnamed senior Defense Department official told The Record that “due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations.”

Some cybersecurity experts criticized the move. “How much more proof do we need that this administration is completely compromised?” cybercrime and security investigative journalist Brian Krebs wrote on infosec.exchange. “There is zero reason for the US to relax any offensive digital actions against Russia. If anything, we should be applying more.”

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