Jeffrey Rodack – December 18, 2020
Congressional lawmakers are questioning whether the cyberattack on the federal government is an act of war.
According to The Hill, the cyberattack, widely attributed to Russia, may be the biggest in U.S. history.
It noted any U.S. response could be complicated by the presidential transition.
“We can’t be buddies with Vladimir Putin and have him at the same time making this kind of cyberattack on America,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told CNN. “This is virtually a declaration of war by Russia on the United States and we should take that seriously.”
And Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told SiriusXM’s Olivier Knox in a Thursday interview: “What I find most astonishing is that a cyberhack of this nature is really the modern equivalent of almost Russian bombers reportedly flying undetected over the entire country. And they didn’t drop bombs, but they had the capacity to show that our defense is extraordinarily inadequate.”
The Energy Department and its National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains America’s nuclear stockpile, were targeted as part of a broader attack, according to a person familiar with the matter. The hack didn’t affect mission-essential national security functions.
In addition, three unidentified states were also targeted.
CNN reported that Marco Rubio urged people not to jump to conclusions.
“There’s still information gathering occurring, so I’d caution anyone reaching conclusions or making pronouncements until all that is in,” said Rubio, who is Senate Intelligence Committee chairman.