Last year, The Washington Post reported that the United States had engaged in a cyberattack on Russia’s Internet Research Agency after the Russian IRA had attempted to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections. As Ellen Nakashima noted at the time, the Russian campaign had been designed to sow discord within the country around an important election. The American attack brought the IRA temporarily offline, and was considered by many to represent the country pushing back against Russian electoral interference.
A new report by Kim Lyons at The Verge offers more details on the campaign — including the first confirmation from President Donald Trump that the counterattacks took place. Specifically, it involves Trump acknowledging Russian’s antagonistic role in cyberattacks, something he has historically been hesitant to do. The comments came in an interview with The Washington Post:
In an interview with Post columnist Marc Thiessen, Trump confirmed that the attack— which the Post reported on last year— started on the day of the 2018 midterm and was successful in disrupting a disinformation campaign by Russia that was meant to raise doubt about the midterm results.
As Lyons notes, this is the first time Trump has confirmed that he authorized the attack. What effect Russian hackers might have on this year’s Presidential election remains to be seen — though reports from earlier in the year indicated that interference was certainly in the works. As we prepare for an election unlike any that have come before, the idea of more malicious actions from overseas make for another concern among the many already present.
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