US Senators Ask: How Ready Is America for Massive Cyber-Attacks From Russia?

A bipartisan group of senators expressed concern about the possibility of massive Russian cyberattacks in the United States as revenge for the brutal sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow for its decision to invade Ukraine.

Twenty-two senators, led by Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen and South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The letter, obtained by CNN, presented questions on the details on the US preparedness for cyber threats from Russia, which has a history of "disruptive cyber and disinformation activities."

The senators expressed concern "that the United States may be targeted in retaliation" for its imposed sanctions on Russia for attacking Ukraine. Senators sought a briefing from Mayorkas on what the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is doing to proactively protect against Russian government-backed online threats and which sectors might be targeted.

The senators also inquired in the letter if a strategy is in effect if a significant infrastructure gets breached and how CISA is working with "international partners" regarding the matter.

Biden Administration Assures the US Is Ready To Handle Cyber Attacks

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, the Biden administration has been on high alert for potential Russian criminal or state-sponsored cyberattacks on vital infrastructure targets in the United States, a position the White House adopted months ago.

In the wake of the war, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated earlier this month that the US is highly prepared for possible Russian cyberattacks., So far, there were no notable reports of the high-impact cyberattacks on transportation or energy infrastructure that some have expected though some Ukrainian companies have been hacked.

Meanwhile, according to a report by Reuters, three sources disclosed that intelligence agencies in the West had launched investigations on a cyberattack conducted by unidentified hackers, which disrupted broadband satellite internet access in Ukraine when the Russian invasion started.

Cyber Experts Spot Threats

Experts for the United States The National Security Agency, the French government's cybersecurity organization ANSSI, and Ukrainian intelligence are probing whether the remote sabotage of a satellite internet provider's service was the operation of hackers backed by the Russian government in preparation for the war by attempting to cut off communications.

On Feb. 24, between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., the satellite provider initiated a digital blitz. And 9 a.m., just as Russian forces entered Ukraine and began firing missiles, targeting key cities across the country, including Ukraine's capital of Kyiv.

According to an official of Viasat, which controls the impacted network, satellite modems belonging to tens of thousands of users in Europe were knocked offline, with the repercussions still being assessed. Since Viasat works as a defense contractor for both the US and its allies, the openly disclosed incident, which seems to be one of the most substantial wartime cyberattacks, has sparked the interest of Western intelligence.

For decades, the US has not considered Russia a top hacking priority, cyber experts told Politico. But things changed when Russian hackers attempted to affect the 2016 US Elections. At present, the United States is also severely engaged in Russian infrastructure.