Biden Urges Putin To Take Action Against Russian Hackers

President Joe Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “take action to disrupt” cyber-criminal organizations. Biden also told Putin that the U.S. reserves the right to respond to hackers who wage ransomware attacks from inside Russia.

After signing an executive order at the White House on Friday, Biden told reporters: “I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect him to act, and we give him enough information to act on who that is.”

Over the July 4 weekend, Russia-based group REvil, an abbreviation of “ransomware evil,” hacked a Florida software company.

When asked if Russia would face consequences after recent attacks, Biden replied: “Yes.”

The White House released the following statement: “Biden underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware. President Biden reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge.”

Article by Elizabeth Letsou