{"id":36373,"date":"2020-12-17T17:54:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T17:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smg.go-vip.net\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/17\/no-2-senate-democrat-russia-hack-a-virtual-invasion\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:42:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:42:47","slug":"no-2-senate-democrat-russia-hack-a-virtual-invasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/12\/17\/no-2-senate-democrat-russia-hack-a-virtual-invasion\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 2 Senate Democrat decries alleged Russian hack as \u2018virtual invasion\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Senate\u2019s No. 2 Democrat said Russia\u2019s apparent hack into multiple government agencies<\/a> is a \u201cvirtual invasion\u201d that demands the U.S. show Russia and other adversaries there is \u201ca price to pay\u201d for breaching American systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Senate floor speech Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the U.S. needs to \u201crespond in kind\u201d and that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a friend. A day earlier on CNN<\/a>, he called the hack \u201cvirtually a declaration of war by Russia on the United States, and we should take it that seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not calling for an invasion myself or all-out war. I don\u2019t want to see that happen, but it\u2019s no longer a buddy-buddy arrangement between the United States and Vladimir Putin,\u201d Durbin said Thursday. \u201cWhen adversaries such as Russia torment us, tempt us, breach the security of our nation, we need to respond in kind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durbin\u2019s remarks came hours before President-elect Joe Biden issued an announcement that he had instructed his team to learn as much as possible about the breach. He vowed a tough response, beyond expanding investment in cyber defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut a good defense isn\u2019t enough; we need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyber attacks in the first place,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners. Our adversaries should know that, as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week brought the disclosure of a global cyberespionage campaign that penetrated multiple U.S. government agencies by compromising a common network management tool from the company SolarWinds used by thousands of organizations. Russia, the prime suspect, denied involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cybersecurity investigators said the hack\u2019s impact extends far beyond the affected U.S. agencies, which include the Treasury and Commerce departments. Defense contractors like General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries were on SolarWinds\u2019 client list, but those two firms have declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SolarWinds counts all five military services, the Pentagon and the National Security Agency among its clientele, and the New York Times <\/a>reported that the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and parts of the Pentagon were compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congressional Democrats have generally been more vocal about the hack than Republicans, pointing fingers at President Donald Trump, who fired Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency chief Christopher Krebs in November. As Washington continued to assess the extent of the hack, Democrats criticized Trump\u2019s silence on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to gather more facts. But early indications suggest Pres Trump\u2019s tepid response to previous cyber transgressions by Russian hackers emboldened those responsible,\u201d Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed said in a tweet Wednesday. He is the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s top Democrat and sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic lawmakers say they expect Biden will take bolder action against Russian hacking akin to the sanctions President Barack Obama spearheaded in retaliation for Russia\u2019s 2016 election interference \u2014 something the U.S. intelligence community agrees took place but the Kremlin denies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect it under this president. I do expect it under the upcoming administration,\u201d one House Intelligence Committee member, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. told CNN on Thursday. \u201cYou have to confront the Russian government and Putin\u201d alongside America\u2019s allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The congressional intelligence committees received a classified briefing from the intelligence community earlier this week, but Politico <\/a>reported there have been signs the White House tried to muzzle top officials seeking to fill in lawmakers on what they know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a National Security Council meeting Tuesday night, national security leaders were instructed not to reach out to Capitol Hill for briefings on the massive hack without explicit approval from the White House or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Politico<\/a> reported, citing people familiar with the episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\t