Officials: To secure election, U.S. conducted cyber operation against Iran

Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of the United States Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, told reporters on Tuesday that he is "very confident in actions" taken against foreign actors "over the past several weeks and the past several months to make sure that they're not going to interfere in our elections."Nakasone did not give any details, but U.S. officials told The Washington Post that the U.S. Cyber Command and NSA took action against Iran, after the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent emails to Democratic voters, posing as members of a far-right group. The messages were threatening, and told the voters they needed to cast their ballots for President Trump.Nakasone said the agencies "had a very good bead on what a number of actors were trying to do" and "we weren't surprised by their actions." They have been working since the 2018 midterms to stop foreign election meddling, he added, and the work will keep going until all the votes are certified. "This is just the start," Nakasone said. "We'll be ready for the days to come."U.S. officials told the Post that Nakasone spoke to reporters on Election Day because the government wants to have transparency and ensure voters aren't worried about the integrity of the election.More stories from theweek.com COVID-19 keeps proving everyone wrong Is this the year the New South turns blue? Democrats' first priority