The attacks are ramping up in frequency and severity, and the US government is ready to throw everything it can at the problem in order to stop them - including, reportedly, giving ransomware attack investigations the same priority that they do terrorism.īut for all that, ransomware isn’t new.
But it should now be clear to everyone that ransomware is a serious issue that affects and disrupts even the most critical sectors. There’s no evidence that a ransomware attack has been directly responsible for any deaths, let alone nearly 3,000 of them. Wray’s comparison might be a bit extreme. And FBI director Christopher Wray even compared the ransomware attack epidemic to 9/11. The DOJ formed a task force dedicated to ransomware, which has already managed to recover part of the ransom Colonial Pipeline paid to its attackers. The Biden administration sent a letter to corporations and business leaders with recommendations for how they can better protect themselves from attacks, and a plea that they do so. The United States government has already stepped up its response back home.
“He knows there are consequences,” Biden said.īiden also said he told Putin that he expects Russia to act against any criminal ransomware organizations operating within its borders, just as the United States would against any organizations operating within its own. In a separate press conference, Biden said he told Putin in no uncertain terms that the cyberattacks couldn’t go on.
Putin claimed in a subsequent press conference that Russia had nothing to do with the attacks (he has denied any involvement in the past).
Last year’s SolarWinds hack was directly attributed to the Russian government, and recent ransomware attacks on industries, including energy, food, and transportation, have been blamed on criminal organizations based in or near Russia - possibly with the country’s knowledge and approval. They agreed to further discuss both what critical infrastructure should be considered off-limits to cyberattacks and how to go after ransomware gangs operating within their borders. The federal government certainly is.ĭuring President Joe Biden’s much-anticipated first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the two leaders said they talked about the recent cyberattacks on some of the United States’ most crucial systems and infrastructure, many of which have been traced to Russia. If you found yourself in an hours-long line for expensive gas last month, then you’re probably familiar with the damage that ransomware attacks can do.
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