In a modern twist on old-fashioned war games,
the U.S. military dispatched cyber fighters to
Estonia this fall to help the small Baltic nation
search out and block potential cyber threats from
Russia. The goal was not only to help a NATO
partner long targeted by its powerful neighbor
but also to gain insight on Russian tactics that
could be used against the U.S. and its elections.
The U.S. Cyber Command operation occurred in
Estonia from late September to early November,
officials from both countries disclosed this week,
just as the U.S. was working to safeguard its
election systems from foreign interference and
to keep coronavirus research from the prying
reach of hackers in countries including Russia
and China.