The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion The U.S. military is quietly launching efforts to deter Russian meddling

Columnist|
February 7, 2019 at 7:39 p.m. EST
Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of U.S. Cyber Commnad, on Capitol Hill on Jan. 29. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

With little public fanfare, U.S. Cyber Command, the military’s new center for combating electronic attacks against the United States, has launched operations to deter and disrupt Russians who have been interfering with the U.S. political system.

Like other U.S. cyberwar activities, the disruption effort against Russia is cloaked in secrecy. But it appears to involve, in part, a warning to suspected Russian hackers that echoes a menacing phrase that’s a staple of many fictional crime and spy thrillers: “We know where you live.”