President Obama yesterday announced additional sanctions on Russia in response to cyber activities that targeted the 2016 election process. The president approved an amendment to an existing executive order that authorizes sanctions on individuals or entities that engage in cyberattacks that seek to disrupt critical infrastructure. The amendment specifically addresses those who tamper with, alter or misappropriate information with the intent to interfere with electoral processes or institutions.
Targeted by the sanctions were nine individuals and entities, including two Russian intelligence agencies, four individual intelligence officers and three companies that provide material support to one of the agencies. The administration also said that it would shut down two Russian compounds in the U.S. used for intelligence-related purposes and declared 35 Russian intelligence operatives “persona non grata.” In addition, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security has released declassified information on Russian civilian and military cyber activity to help partners at home and abroad detect and disrupt Russian cybercriminal activities.
Obama added that in addition to these sanctions, the administration “will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized.”
