Biden warns Putin against Russian ransomware attacks

President BidenJoe BidenJohn Kerry to Visit Moscow Officials to Discuss ‘Global Climate Ambition’ Civil Rights Leaders Find Meeting with WH ‘Encouraging’ Amid Voting Rights Battle Pentagon Considering Locations to Send Afghan interpreters as Biden promises evacuations by end of July MORE spoke by phone with the Russian president Vladimir PoutineVladimir Vladimirovich PutinJohn Kerry to Visit Moscow Officials to Discuss ‘Global Climate Ambition’ Hillicon Valley: Warren Calls on SEC to Take a Closer Look at Cryptocurrency Exchanges | Maryland Town Disconnected in Massive Ransomware Attack | Huawei hires three new lobbying firms New START expansion lacks critical points for strategic stability MORE Friday and urged him to take action to disrupt the criminal groups operating in Russia that are behind the recent ransomware attacks in the United States.

Biden also warned that the United States would “take whatever steps are necessary to defend its people and their critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge,” according to a White House reading.

The conversation came after a ransomware attack last week on software company Kaseya affected up to 1,500 businesses, many of which were vulnerable small businesses in the United States. Cyber ​​security experts attributed the attack to the Russian-based cybercriminal group “REvil”. However, the Biden administration has yet to formally attribute the attack.

“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects a ransomware operation originating from its soil, even if it is not state sponsored, to expect us to act. if we give them enough information to act on who it is, ”Biden later told reporters when asked about the phone call.

“Second, that we have put in place a means of communication now on a regular basis so that we can communicate with each other when each of us thinks that something is going on in the other country that affects the country of origin. It went well, I became optimistic, “he added.

When asked if there would be any consequences for the ransomware attacks, Biden replied in the affirmative without giving details.

White House press secretary Jen psakiJen Psaki Civil rights leaders find meeting with WH “encouraging” amid battle for voting rights Pentagon considers locations to send Afghan interpreters as Biden promises evacuations by end of July Rand Paul s ” commits to introduce the repeal of the mandate for public transport masks PLUS told reporters at a press briefing on Friday that the US government had no new information suggesting that the Russian government had led recent ransomware attacks, but said: “We also know and we also believe that they have a responsibility… to take action ”.

She added that the United States knows that REvil “works in Russia and other countries around the world.”

Psaki declined to say what options are on the table. Biden imposed sanctions in April on Russia in response to the SolarWinds hack.

“His intention was to clarify and reiterate again that (…) ransomware attacks by criminal groups against entities in the United States are not acceptable and that we reserve the right to take action,” said said Psaki.

The call came a month after Biden and Putin met in person in Geneva to discuss a range of issues, with cybersecurity issues at the top of the list. During the meeting, Biden gave Putin a list of 16 critical infrastructure entities that Russia could not attack without consequences, and warned him against allowing further malicious cyber activity against the United States. .

“President Biden also spoke with President Putin about ongoing ransomware attacks by Russia-based criminals that have impacted the United States and other countries around the world,” the White House said at the time. of Friday’s conversation between the two leaders. “President Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and stressed that he was determined to continue his engagement against the broader threat posed by ransomware.”

The reading also states that the two leaders “hailed the joint work of their respective teams following the US-Russian summit which led to the unanimous renewal of cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria today at the Security Council of the United States. ‘UN’.

Psaki said the call was an example of Biden’s willingness to work with Russia on areas of agreement while being “clear, frank and frank when there is a disagreement.”

Tensions between the United States and Russia have escalated over the past six months following several cybersecurity incidents linked to either the Russian government or Russian-based cybercrime groups.

The SolarWinds hack, first discovered in December, resulted in the breach of nine US federal agencies and 100 private sector groups. U.S. intelligence agencies attributed the attack to Russian government-backed hackers.

In addition, debilitating ransomware attacks in May against Colonial Pipeline, which provides 45% of the East Coast’s fuel supply, and on JBS USA, the country’s largest beef supplier, have been attributed by the FBI to two separate cybercriminal groups based in Russia.

Updated at 14:19