Former President Barack Obama authorized the U.S. to plant cyber weapons within Russia’s infrastructure for his successor to detonate in response to Moscow’s meddling in last year’s White House race, according to a new report.
Prior to leaving office in January, Mr. Obama signed off on a covert program that involved infecting Russian computer systems with offensive tools designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a consequence of Moscow’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, The Washington Post reported Friday in an article citing more than three dozen current and former U.S. officials.
These implants — “the digital equivalent of bombs,” according to The Post — were “designed so that they could be triggered remotely as part of retaliatory cyber-strike in the face of Russian aggression, whether an attack on a power grid or interference in a future presidential race,” the report said.
The effort involved the CIA, NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, and targeted Russian networks deemed “important to the adversary and that would cause them pain and discomfort if they were disrupted,” a former U.S. official told The Post.
The covert operation was still in its planning stages when Mr. Obama left office on Jan. 20, and only a direct order from of his successor, President Trump, can put the program on ice, The Post reported.
Officials familiar with the arrangement said there was no indication Mr. Trump has canceled the operation, the report said.
The offensive cyber campaign was among multiple options weighed by the White House as the U.S. intelligence community became increasingly certain that Russia had interfered in last year’s presidential race. It was considered alongside economic sanctions and other penalties proposed in response to Moscow’s purported election meddling.
The Obama administration believed as early as August 2016 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally authorized an interference campaign targeting last November’s election and specifically Mr. Trump’s opponent, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but wrestled with presenting its findings to the public for five months while it sought out additional evidence and the support of Congress, The Post reported.
Ultimately the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report in the first week of January accusing Russia and Mr. Putin personally of using state-sponsored hackers to interfere in last year’s race. Moscow has adamantly denied responsibility.
The White House, CIA, FBI, NSA and ODNI declined to comment on the claims, The Post reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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