The Trump administration has publicly and privately indicated that they believe Russia does not pose a cyber threat to US national security or critical infrastructure, signaling a significant shift from long-standing intelligence assessments. This change in policy could leave the US vulnerable to hacking attacks by Russia, according to experts, and reflects the improving relations between Donald Trump and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Two recent incidents indicate this change in approach to Russia’s cyber security threat. Liesyl Franz, deputy assistant secretary for international cybersecurity at the state department, did not mention Russia or the Russia-based LockBit ransomware group in her speech at a United Nations working group on cyber security. In contrast, representatives from US allies in the European Union and the UK focused on the threat posed by Moscow.
The policy change has also been observed behind closed doors. A recent memo at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) set new priorities that did not mention Russia, and analysts at the agency were informed that they were not to follow or report on Russian threats.
Critics argue that this policy shift is dangerous and unrealistic, noting that Russia and China are the biggest adversaries to the US. The Trump administration has also reassigned officials at Cisa who were focused on safeguarding elections from cyberattacks.
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Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/28/trump-russia-hacking-cyber-security
