Senate defense bill authorizes offensive actions against Russian hackers

The annual defense policy measure advancing in the Senate authorizes U.S. military hackers to go on the offensive against Russian attacks on the United States in cyberspace, while also mandating a cyber deterrence doctrine after lawmakers were disappointed in the Trump administration's latest policy.

The Senate Armed Services Committee's fiscal 2019 defense authorization bill designates clandestine military operations in cyberspace as "traditional military activities," affirming the secretary of defense's ability to order cyber operations, according to a summary of the...