The Atlantic

Trump’s Cyber-Appeasement Policy Might Encourage More Hacks

Casting doubt on security experts’ ability to identify the culprits behind cyberattacks could make it hard to deter the next one.
Source: Evan Vucci / AP

Since well before he was elected president, Donald Trump has been casting doubt on the accuracy and integrity of investigations that assign blame for cyberattacks. His statements have created an atmosphere of mistrust around forensic analyses, like the one focused on Russia that three top spy agencies briefed him on last week.

This confusion benefits Trump by deflecting uncomfortable questions about Russia’s role in shifting public opinion about him and his opponent in the election, Hillary Clinton. But it’s also a boon to state-sponsored hackers, for whom uncertainty is the ideal

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