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Sessions Forms .S. Cyber Task Force After Election Warnings
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would create a task force to examine how his Justice Department can better combat global cyber threats.
Credit: Yuri Gripas/Reuters
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday announced he would create a task force to examine how his Justice Department can better combat global cyber threats, including efforts to interfere with elections or damage critical infrastructure.
Last week, leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Russia will try to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections in November and said the U.S. was "under attack."
The Justice Department will have until the end of June to report its findings, according to a memorandum Sessions signed on Friday but released on Tuesday.
"The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can also be exploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments," Sessions said in a statement.
The task force, composed of representatives from different branches of the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will examine use of the Internet to spread violent ideologies and recruit followers, how hackers breach private corporate and government data, and law enforcement challenges posed by strong encryption.
From Reuters
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