U.S. will use a 'mix of tools seen and unseen' to respond to alleged Russia hack, national security adviser says
"It will be weeks, not months," before the United States has prepared a response to a major cyberattack allegedly carried out by the Russian government that included breaches of several U.S. federal agencies, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
Sullivan said the Biden administration has first asked the American intelligence community to keep gathering information on "how precisely this hack occurred" and to get a better sense of what the "scope and scale" of the damage is, but once that gets done, the U.S. will make its move.
Brennan, pointing out that simply sanctioning the Kremlin hasn't deterred Russian President Vladimir Putin over the years, asked Sullivan if the U.S. will consider other actions, as well. Sullivan did confirm the response "will not simply be sanctions because a response to a set of activities" like the hack "requires a more comprehensive set of tools," but he didn't provide any specifics, stating only that the U.S. will use "a mix of tools seen and unseen." Tim O'Donnell
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Magazine printables - November 14, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 14, 2025
-
France targets Shein over weapons, sex dollsSpeed Read Shein was given 48 hours to scrub the items from their website
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
