Senior U.S. officials met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss ways to combat ransomware hacking as pressure mounts on President Joe Biden to take measures against Russia due to the rising number of cyberattacks. Following the hacking of computer systems in hundreds of companies in the United States and around 1,500 companies globally by the "REvil" group, which is alleged to operate from Russian territory, there have been calls for cybersecurity experts at the U.S. Department of Defense to launch robust counterattacks and for more sanctions to be imposed on Moscow.
This White House meeting, which included officials from the State Department, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and intelligence agencies, followed reports of attempts by alleged Russian hackers to breach systems of the National Republican Committee. After the meeting, Biden told reporters that he would send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding this issue, without disclosing further details.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki indicated that Wednesday's meeting focused on "coordinated government efforts to address ransomware attacks." She added that "the president has a range of options if he decides to take action" against the hackers.
Calls for More Sanctions
While the White House spokesperson did not disclose the options Biden is considering, with attacks continuing three weeks after addressing the issue in direct talks with Putin at the Geneva summit, new calls have arisen for the U.S. president to respond.
In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Wednesday, cybersecurity expert Dmitry Alperovitch and Russian affairs expert Matthew Rojansky urged the White House to punish Russian oil and gas companies that represent a primary source of revenue for Moscow. They stated that "before ransomware attacks become routine, President Biden should make a quiet but firm request: President Putin must immediately stop this activity or Washington will tighten sanctions on the Russian economy."
A group of Republican House members stated in a press release that the ongoing cyberattacks demonstrate that Putin has "ignored" Biden's warnings. The lawmakers said, "Putin will not stop these criminals unless he knows there will be severe and real consequences if he does not."
Request for $70 Million Ransom
Psaki noted that senior national security officials at the White House have expressed their concerns to senior Russian officials. Cybersecurity officials from the U.S. and Russia are scheduled to meet next week to discuss the issue of ransomware attacks.
However, the recent "REvil" attack indicates that Moscow has not taken action to rein in cybercriminals. The group continued on Wednesday to publish sensitive data from the companies whose computers they hacked to pressure them into paying a ransom. They posted the data on a blog on the dark web. Additionally, the group offered to provide a decryption key for the companies' data in exchange for a one-time payment of $70 million.
In response to questions about the response, Psaki stated that officials remain cautious about attributing blame for the recent attacks and have not definitively concluded that the Russian government is directly responsible. Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that they wouldn't discuss the department's capabilities or specific actions that could be taken. He added, "We are all aware of these increasing threats to national security as well as to civilian infrastructure." He continued, "We believe... that the U.S. response to these threats must involve the entire government" as it is not solely a military responsibility.
