Biden Elevates Ransomware Threat to National Security Priority

0
89
Biden Elevates Ransomware Threat to National Security Priority #Baaghi

July 7, 2021: President Joe Biden will address the growing threat of ransom against companies and territories by inviting key officials to discuss strategies of the administration in the wake of a high-profile hacker attack.

Biden will meet with various agency leaders behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss ransomware and ways to combat it, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday night that called the risk a “national security and economic security priority for the administration.”

The discussion will follow a similar meeting at the meeting on Tuesday by  Ann Neuberger, Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber ​​and Emerging Technologies, who discussed risks and strategies with the Mayors’ US Conference.

Confronting ransomware is gaining new urgency for the administration following an audacious attack over the U.S. holiday weekend that affected more than 1,000 businesses with victims in at least 17 countries, according to cybersecurity researchers. A Russia-linked ransomware gang known as REvil is believed to be behind the attack, which exploited multiple previously unknown vulnerabilities in IT management software made by Kaseya Ltd.

Cities and towns and local institutions, including hospitals, have fallen victim to attacks. Neuberger, in the virtual meeting, told the mayors that a recent pilot program to bolster the defenses of electric utilities would “soon be followed by similar initiatives to strengthen the cyber resilience of other critical sectors like pipelines, water, and chemicals,” the White House said. The statement did not elaborate.

The White House added that it promised that local and state governments would respond to any cyber incident with the help of cyber security professionals, including the FBI and the Cyber ​​Security and Infrastructure Security Agency. The government will have full resources. ” Neuberger said the administration’s strategy includes international efforts to hold a UN where ransom workers work responsibly.

Nevertheless, the attacks continue after Biden discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Geneva last month. In that session, Biden said he had given Putin a list of 16 key areas that should not be hacked so that the US government could respond to its cyber forces. House Republican leader McCarthy, who appeared on Fox News on Tuesday night, criticized Biden’s response to the attacks and to Putin.

Stay tuned to BaaghiTV for latest news and Updates!

Leave a reply