Security News > 2021 > March > General Says Attacks by Foreign Hackers Are 'Clarion Call'

The U.S. Cyber Command conducted more than two dozen operations aimed at thwarting interference in last November's presidential election, the general who leads the Pentagon's cyber force said Thursday.

Nakasone's appearance before the committee came as the U.S. deals with major cyber intrusions, including a breach by elite Russian hackers that exploited supply chain vulnerabilities to break into the networks of federal government agencies and private companies.

"It is the clarion call for us to look at this differently - how do we ensure we have as a nation both the resiliency and the ability to act against these type of adversaries," he said.

Nakasone said one challenge is that foreign state hackers have taken advantage of legal constraints that prevent U.S. intelligence agencies such as the NSA, whose surveillance is focused abroad, from monitoring domestic infrastructure for cyber threats.

Hackers are increasingly using U.S.-based virtual private networks, or VPNs, to evade detection by the U.S. government.

Private companies are typically reluctant to share information on hacks and attempted hacks with the FBI and other government agencies, mostly out of fear of the negative business fallout if it were to become public.

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