Wyden, Gardner Ask DOJ to Investigate Cyber Harassment of U.S. Military Families by Russian Intelligence

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo. sent a letter earlier this week to Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging the Department of Justice to investigate cyber harassment of U.S. military families by Russian intelligence services.

“If substantiated, the claims about APT28 posing as the Cyber Caliphate could be the first public evidence that influence operations have specifically targeted American military families,” the senators wrote. “If left unchecked, such operations would threaten the personal liberty, financial security, mental health, and morale of our military families.”

The letter comes after reports that a group calling itself the “Cyber Caliphate” had launched an intimidation campaign against several U.S. military spouses in 2015. The information was recently made public in a news report by the Associated Press. Two of the spouses that were harassed by Russian intelligence services live in Oregon and Colorado.

The full letter can be found here.

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