US President Joe Biden Warns Against Forthcoming Russian Cyberattacks

This week, US President Joe Biden warned the country of possible cyberattacks originating from Russia, indicating he had received new intelligence regarding possible plans.

“The more Putin’s back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ … one of the tools he’s most likely to use in my view, in our view, is cyberattacks,” said Biden. 

“The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential and it’s coming,” he added.

According to Politico, previous intelligence warnings about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine proved to be mostly accurate, with the President urging companies and organizations to “harden” their cyber defenses “immediately.”

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology, concurred with Biden’s speech, saying that Russia could be targeting critical infrastructure but had no knowledge of specific plans. 

“Today we are reiterating these warnings, and we are doing so based on evolving threat intelligence that the Russian government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the US,” she told reporters. 

In preparation for any oncoming attacks, Neuberger said federal agencies have briefed over 100 companies on new intelligence, highlighting the severity of active threats that could look to bring down oil and energy firms or hospital systems. 

“There’s so much more we need to do to have the confidence that we’ve locked our digital doors, particularly for the critical services Americans rely on,” she said. 

[via Politico and New York Times, cover image via Pop Nukoonrat | Dreamstime.com]