In an open hearing on worldwide threats, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified that while foreign actors were unable to disrupt the 2018 elections, they still are actively spreading disinformation and planning to strike again in 2020.
CNN:
"We assess that foreign actors will view the 2020 US elections as an opportunity to advance their interests. We expect them to refine their capabilities and add new tactics as they learn from each other's experiences and efforts in previous elections," Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
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In his written testimony, Coats said that "unidentified actors as recently as 2018" targeted US election infrastructure, but the US intelligence community does not have any intelligence indicating that election infrastructure was compromised to prevent votes or change vote counts.
While President Trump continues to deny Russian election interference and cozy up to Vladimir Putin, Coats' statement for the record makes it abundantly clear just how serious a threat Moscow is to the United States.
Moscow is now staging cyber attack assets to allow it to disrupt or damage US civilian and military infrastructure during a crisis and poses a significant cyber influence threat—an issue discussed in the Online Influence Operations and Election Interference section of this report.
Russian intelligence and security services will continue targeting US information systems, as well as the networks of our NATO and Five Eyes partners, for technical information, military plans, and insight into our governments’ policies.
Russia has the ability to execute cyber attacks in the United States that generate localized, temporary disruptive effects on critical infrastructure—such as disrupting an electrical distribution network for at least a few hours—similar to those demonstrated in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016. Moscow is mapping our critical infrastructure with the long-term goal of being able to cause substantial damage.
Appearing alongside Coats, FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed that Russia would continue to use social media to sow discontent in U.S., adding the Kremlin is adapting its model and other countries are “taking a very interested eye.”
Wray said that social media influence campaigns are a “particularly vexing and challenging problem" for the bureau. Yet, he said, the FBI continues to work with government partners and tech companies to counter online disinformation and fake accounts.
NPR:
At a time of headlines about Russian interference and Chinese spying, Coats also warned that the two nations are increasingly converging in their interests.
Both aim to "compete more intensely" with the United States, and the two "are more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950s," Coats said.
Other witnesses in Tuesdays hearing included CIA Director Gina Haspel, Defense Intelligence Agency Director General Robert Ashley, NSA Director General Paul Nakasone, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo.
Intel chief warns Russia will target 2020 elections (CNN)
Intelligence heads warn of more aggressive election meddling in 2020 (Politico)
Spy Boss Coats Warns That Russia, Others Plot New Interference Techniques For 2020 (NPR)