Biden hints at tougher stance on states sponsoring cyberattacks

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States, under his leadership, will join with its allies in imposing “substantial costs” on adversaries who engage in cyber attacks like the massive breach of government agencies and businesses American revealed earlier this month.

“Good defense is not enough; we must interrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking major cyber attacks in the first place,” Biden said in a statement issued by his transition team.

“We will achieve this, among other things, by imposing substantial costs on those responsible for these malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.” Our adversaries must know that as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber attacks against our nation. “

The statement is Biden’s first official response as president-elect to news of the months-long cyberattack, which experts say bears the hallmarks of a Russian state-sponsored operation.

It also signals a potential shift towards a tougher stance against Russian cyber warfare tactics than that of the current Trump administration.

Biden noted that his new national security team had been briefed on the attacks by career officials from relevant government agencies.

On Wednesday evening, the three main agencies tasked with investigating the attack and protecting the nation from cyber threats, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced the formation of a joint command to respond to what they called “a significant and continuing cybersecurity campaign” against the United States.

“This is a developing situation, and as we continue to work to understand the full scope of this campaign, we know that this compromise has affected networks within the federal government,” the agencies said in a joint statement. .

Government agencies and private sector companies targeted by the attack are rushing to paint a clearer picture of the extent of the breach and the potential damage to America’s cyber infrastructure and critical information systems.

Initial investigation suggests the breach was carried out via malicious code hidden in a software update from popular IT management company SolarWinds. Russia has denied any involvement in the attack.

In a briefing with congressional staff members this week, CISA officials “warned that the perpetrator of this attack is very sophisticated, and that it will take weeks, if not months, to determine the number. total number of agencies affected by the attack and to what extent sensitive data and information may have been compromised. “

The CISA warning was revealed in a letter that the chairmen of the House Democratic committees sent to senior officials at the FBI, CISA and ODNI on Thursday, requesting more details on the attack.

This timeline suggests that it will be Biden, and not incumbent President Donald Trump, who will be ultimately responsible for determining what retaliatory measures, if any, are warranted against those behind the attacks. Biden will take office on January 20.

Trump has yet to personally respond to the latest attack. White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Tuesday that the administration was “looking closely at this issue.”

But Republican Senator from Utah Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of Trump, called the White House’s lukewarm response to the attack “inexcusable.”

Trump has maintained an exceptionally warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his four years in office, despite repeated attempts by the Kremlin to undermine the American elections and democratic processes and its cyberwar campaign.