President Joe Biden issued a new warning on Monday about new signs of probable Russian cyberattacks, escalating weeks of rising worry about a possible Kremlin-ordered reaction to crippling sanctions for Ukraine’s invasion.
While the White House released few information regarding the nature of the danger, the president’s statement highlighted the ongoing cyber threat to American businesses and organisations. Many experts believed that cyberattacks would play a minor part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a tedious and bloody ground battle taking precedence. Expected retaliation strikes against US corporations and groups haven’t materialised, at least not on a large scale, following the imposition of stringent penalties.
On Monday, Joe Biden stated that intelligence indicated a growing Russian cyber threat to the United States. He claimed that Russia was “exploring” a cyber strike, but that the US would use “every weapon” to prevent and retaliated. He suggested that Moscow would retaliate for sanctions imposed on it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to Russia’s foreign ministry, bilateral ties between Moscow and the United States are “on the edge of collapse”. Biden has previously warned of a possible Russian cyberattack, stating on February 24 that the US was ready to retaliate.
He said in his remarks on Monday that intelligence was “changing” and that the US believed the “Russian government is examining possibilities.”
Biden also urged US businesses to “intensify efforts to secure their digital gateways.” He added, “You have the authority, capability, and obligation to improve the security and resilience of essential services and technologies that Americans rely on. We need everyone to pitch in “.
He suggested that the potential for “malicious cyber activities” could be motivated by the “extraordinary economic burdens” imposed by Western sanctions. Since tensions between Russia and Ukraine began to rise, the cyber security world has been bracing for a large-scale cyber-attack from Russia.
Cyber authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere have issued warnings about not only assaults on Ukraine, but also so-called “spill over” attacks, in which other nations are targeted or a hack mistakenly travels outside of the conflict zone. The NotPetya wiper attack, which the US and EU openly blamed on Russian military hackers, is the example authorities keep using.
In 2017, malicious malware spread uncontrollably, disrupting thousands of organisations around the world, and causing an estimated $10 billion (£7.6 billion) in losses.
Although President Biden did not state it officially, the concern appears to be about an attack on a crucial piece of US infrastructure.