The NSA chief is unauthorized to fight Russian cyber attacks
SUMMARY
The head of the US's cyber operations, on Feb. 27, 2018, said the country's response to Russia's hacking provocations has "not changed the calculus or the behavior" and that "they have not paid a price."
Speaking before lawmakers on Feb. 27, 2018, US Cyber Command chief and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers said that he had not been given the authority by President Donald Trump to counter Russia's cyber operations.
Also read: This is why Russia can keep hacking the US
"I believe that President Putin has clearly come to the conclusion there's little price to pay here," Rogers said. "And that therefore, 'I can continue this activity.'"
"Everything, both as a director of NSA and what I see at the Cyber Command side, leads me to believe that if we don't change the dynamic here, this is going to continue," Rogers said. "And 2016 won't be viewed as something isolated. This is something will be sustained over time."
The US intelligence community has concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential election through a complicated media and hacking campaign. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also believed that Russia has already launched a campaign to meddle with the US's midterm elections in 2018.
Russia has also been a prime suspect in the hacking hundreds of computers that were used by authorities from the 2018 Winter Olympics, according to US intelligence sources cited in a Washington Post report.
Related: How the US can kick Russia in their hacking balls
"There are tools available to us, and again, I think in fairness, you can't say nothing's been done," Rogers said. "But my point would be it hasn't been enough. Clearly what we've done hasn't been enough."
A recent SSRS poll indicates most Americans believe the Trump administration is not doing enough to prevent foreign meddling in elections, according to CNN. Around 60% of respondents in the poll say they are not confident Trump is doing enough to stop countries from influencing US elections.