NSA and US Cyber Command reportedly took action against Iranian hackers to preempt any interference in the 2020 election

• The US has taken actions against foreign adversaries aiming to disrupt the 2020 election in recent weeks, NSA Director and US Cyber Command head Gen. Paul Nakasone said in a press briefing Tuesday.
• The amount of attempted election interference by foreign actors is lower this year than it was in 2016 and 2018, Nakasone said, attributing the decrease to US efforts in recent weeks.
• Part of those efforts included a cyber operation targeting Iranian hackers, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing anonymous US officials.
• The US previously attributed an email misinformation campaign targeting Florida voters to Iran last month.

There have been fewer attempts by foreign actors to interfere in the 2020 US Presidential Election than there were in 2016 and 2018, NSA director Gen. Paul Nakasone said in a press briefing Tuesday.

Nakasone's remarks, reported by The Wall Street Journal, come after US officials said they would be on high alert for possible elections interference. Nakasone, who is also head of the US military's Cyber Command, added that the US has taken actions against adversaries in recent weeks in order to preemptively hobble their possible election interference.

"When authorized, we obviously have been prepared and poised to do operations against our adversaries," Nakasone said.

Those operations included a cyber offensive against hackers linked to Iran who attempted to spread misinformation to intimidate American voters, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing anonymous US officials.

Several Americans received ominous emails in October that purported to be sent by a far-right group, warning them to vote for President Donald Trump or "we will come after you." Within two days of the emails' appearance, John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, attributed the emails to cybercriminals backed by Iran.

The rapid attribution and quick retaliation against Iranian hackers represents a coordinated effort by US agencies to preempt possible election meddling in the wake of the 2016 election, when Russians attempted to spread misinformation to confuse or mislead American voters.

Officials are also on the lookout for foreign interference in US voting systems and elections offices. But as of Tuesday morning, there was no indication that any such interference was successful, US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency head Chris Krebs said in a press conference.

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