Ignatius: U.S. Cyber Command tells Russian trolls: 'Gotcha!'
With little public fanfare, U.S. Cyber Command, the militarys new center for combating electronic attacks against the United States, has launched operations to deter and disrupt Russians who have been meddling with the U.S. political system.
Like other U.S. cyberwar activities, this effort against Russia is cloaked in secrecy. But it appears to involve, in part, a warning to suspected Russian hackers that echoes a menacing phrase thats a staple of many fictional crime and spy thrillers: We know where you live.
Beginning last fall, before the midterm elections, Cyber Command began directly contacting Russians who were linked to operations, such as those with the Internet Research Agency, which allegedly helped coordinate Moscows campaign to subvert the 2016 presidential election. The apparent aim was to put people on notice that their covers had been blown, and that their ability to work and travel freely might be affected.
U.S. officials believe that the disruption effort has frazzled some of the Russian targets and may have deterred some interference during the midterms. The operation was first reported by The New York Times Oct. 23, and additional details have emerged from public and private sources.
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