Biden Issues Strong Warning on Potential for Russian Cyberattacks

On Monday, President Joe Biden issued a new warning about the increased potential for cyberattacks against United States interests, due to tensions between Russia and western nations. The President reiterated his warning that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity in response to economic sanctions and announced that evolving intelligence suggests the Russian government is exploring its options.

Biden called on the private sector to increase its efforts to strengthen cybersecurity across all industries. “Most of America’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and critical infrastructure owners and operators must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors,” Biden said. “If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defenses immediately by implementing the best practices we have developed together over the last year.”

The White House also issued a fact sheet urging the private sector to take numerous actions to bolster cybersecurity, including implementing multi-factor authentication, continuous monitoring mechanisms, data encryption and back-ups, and modern vulnerability detection methods. The fact sheet also encourages companies to run emergency preparedness exercises, educate their employees, and engage with CISA and the FBI on information sharing and best practices.

During a press briefing, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger noted that a classified briefing had been provided to entities the administration believes will be specifically targeted. Neuberger declined to identify which sectors or companies were involved, and reiterated that the administration had no evidence of a specific planned attack. However, she said that officials had observed “preparatory activity” by Russian cyber actors, such as scanning websites for vulnerabilities.

Neuberger also noted that bad actors are continuing to exploit known vulnerabilities, for which patches are available, because entities who operate critical infrastructure are failing to take action to implement patches and best practices.

Sources: 

• White House: Statement by President Biden on our Nation’s Cybersecurity
• White House: FACT SHEET: Act Now to Protect Against Potential Cyberattacks
• White House: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger
• NextGov: White House Warns of Potential Russian Cyberattack Based on New Intel
• CyberScoop: White House Issues Call to Action in Light of New Intelligence on Russian Cyberthreat