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WASHINGTON Cyber attacks and ransomware will be one of the questions President Joe Biden intends to raise on his first trip abroad as Commander-in-Chief, an issue of particular importance to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In recent weeks, high-profile ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure across the United States have heightened public awareness of these types of hacks and the vulnerability of large parts of the national economy.
A ransomware attack is a type of hacking in which a cybercriminal will infiltrate a computer system and compromise data or operations. The hacker will then demand financial compensation from the owner of the system for the data or systems to be returned to the owner.
“All ransomware attacks are crimes. They must be prosecuted with full legality and every responsible country must take action against criminals,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier this month. here, adding that Biden “100%” raise the issue of ransomware and cyber attacks with Putin.
President Joe Biden speaks at Sportrock Climbing Centers on Friday, May 28, 2021, in Alexandria, Virginia. Evan Vucci, AP
In May, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline scrambled payment systems, forcing the company to temporarily shut down an oil pipeline that supplies oil to much of the eastern United States.
An attack this month against JBS USA, the US subsidiary of the world’s largest meat producer, rendered its systems inoperative for a day.
The fact that both hacks were carried out by Russian-based cyber groups also raised national security concerns.
Biden plans to launch ransomware at Russian summit
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said ransomware issues will be addressed at an upcoming Russian summit. “We’re not taking any options off the table as to how we can respond,” Psaki said. (June 6)
PA
“These attacks have been on the increase for years because these criminal groups are able to make profits at the expense of businesses, schools, local governments, etc.,” White House Press Secretary Jen said. Psaki, during a press briefing on June 3.
Psaki added that “ransomware is a global problem” that “disrupts organizations around the world,” a goal that now informs the White House’s thinking on tackling the threat.
While the Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that none of the groups that carried out the latest high-profile attacks are directly affiliated with the Russian government, White House aides have repeatedly stressed that “the responsible countries are not hosting no cybercriminals “, a clear condemnation of Russian inaction.
The ransomware problem is at the heart of Biden’s global narrative of the competition between “democracy and autocracy,” a prism through which the administration views its global relations and conflicts with countries like China, Iran and Russia. .
Wray: FBI guidelines frown on ransomware payments
The FBI director told lawmakers on Thursday he was discouraging ransomware payments to hacking groups, even as large companies were involved in multi-million dollar deals last month to bring their systems back online. (June 10)
PA
Discussing US ransomware policy, Sullivan noted that “how to share information about the nature of the threat between our democracies” was the cornerstone of US strategy and that the way we collectively speak of a single voice to countries, including Russia, that host or allow cybercriminals to operate from their territory “is a key priority for Biden as meetings with the G7 in the UK and NATO in Brussels approach.
The White House has also taken an increasingly harsh tone with US businesses as it seeks to reorient its cyber strategy towards the new environment. New technologies like cryptocurrency have also drawn special attention from national security aides.
Sullivan clarified that the “cryptocurrency challenge” in ransomware “is at the heart of how … these ransom transactions are executed.”
Administration officials have not clarified what measures the administration is considering regarding cryptocurrencies, although the FBI recently recovered more than half of the Bitcoin funds paid to the “DarkSide” hacking group.
In a June 3 letter, the National Security Council’s top cyber official, Anne Neuberger, also wrote a letter to companies urging them to ensure that their cyber capabilities were strong enough to withstand a ransomware attack.
“All organizations must recognize that no business is immune to being targeted by ransomware, regardless of its size or location,” Neuberger wrote. “We urge you to take the crime of ransomware seriously and ensure that your corporate cyber defense matches the threat.”
Anne Neuberger, Cyber Officer, National Security Council All organizations must recognize that no business is immune to being the target of ransomware, regardless of size or location.
“We are focused on destroying the infrastructure and ransomware actors, including through close cooperation with the private sector,” Psaki added at his June press briefing, continuing that those responsible for the National Security is also focusing on “expanding cryptocurrency analysis to find and prosecute criminal transactions.”
Follow Matthew Brown online @mrbrownsir.
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Posted at 10:05 a.m. UTC on June 11, 2021 Updated at 10:05 a.m. UTC on June 11, 2021
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