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U.S. military hackers have
penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the
Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American
cyber weapons should the U.S. deem it necessary, according to a senior
intelligence official and top-secret documents reviewed by NBC News.
American officials have long
said publicly that Russia, China and other nations have probed and left hidden
malware on parts of U.S critical infrastructure, "preparing the
battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out
the lights or turn off the internet across major cities.
It's been widely assumed that
the U.S. has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by
NBC News — along with remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official — confirm
that, in the case of Russia.
U.S. officials continue to
express concern that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt
next week's presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials do not expect
Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act
of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the
possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media
accounts designed to spread misinformation.
On Friday the hacker known as
"Guccifer 2.0" — which U.S. officials say is a front for Russian
intelligence — tweeted a threat to monitor the U.S. elections "from inside
the system."
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