Pentagon flip-flops on pausing Russia cyber operations

Much ado about nothing? The Pentagon said late Tuesday that cybersecurity operations against Russia haven’t been actually stopped – even though senior officials had earlier confirmed media reports that the Department of Defense was indeed halting cyber ops against Moscow.

Early this week, reputable US media outlets and news agencies were publishing confirmations from senior officials that yes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has indeed paused offensive cyber operations against Russia by US Cyber Command.

These officials were all speaking on condition of anonymity but they did admit the order had been given a couple of weeks ago. The decision was first reported by The Record.

The unspoken suggestion was that the US was attempting to show goodwill towards Russia, America’s long-term adversary, as both countries are now speaking about how to end the war in Ukraine.

But now, another senior official told Bloomberg that Hegseth has neither canceled nor delayed any cyber ops directed against malicious Russian targets.

Soon after, the Department of Defense further clarified the matter on its new Rapid Response account on X, saying that “there has been no stand-down order whatsoever from that priority.”

TO BE CLEAR: @SecDef has neither canceled nor delayed any cyber operations directed against malicious Russian targets and there has been no stand-down order whatsoever from that priority. https://t.co/OxGK0aQXN1

undefined DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) March 4, 2025

However, observers still have their doubts. That’s because just this past Monday, Hegseth himself shared an X post by a CBS News senior White House reporter, saying that the Defense Secretary had ordered the US Cyber Command to “temporarily pause some provocative offensive actions against Russia.”

Cybersecurity operations related to Russia continue, per people familiar with the actions. @SecDef Hegseth last month ordered US Cyber Command to temporarily pause some provocative offensive actions against Russia ahead of negotiations on the Ukraine war, per sources. Dem and GOP…

undefined Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 3, 2025

Case closed? According to some commentators, the administration was either backing down because of the not-insignificant backlash from the cybersecurity community or simply trolling the mainstream media.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that the negotiations with Russia are not going so well, after all, so the US doesn’t feel the need to extend any carrots to the Kremlin anymore.

Either way, the reported decision – the one being denied now – doesn’t affect cyber ops conducted by other agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The US Cyber Command oversees 135 “cyber mission force” teams, or “its action arm,” the command says on its website. The units involved in offensive operations are Cyber Combat Mission Teams.