Tensions are rising in the US. The central government is doubling down on their efforts to counter cybercrime. In the light of recent cyberattacks, Biden administration has increased the pressure on the companies as well as foreign adversaries to fight against unscrupulous activities happening in the digital realm. Such is the government’s seriousness about this issue that as per the reports they are considering several options for retaliation, with military response being one of them. The growing unrest around this topic has pushed American government into a more aggressive stance Russia in particular. There is a strong feeling amongst the people in-charge that a larger chunk of these attacks are initiated in Russia and that the Russian government isn’t doing anything to prevent them. The issue has been escalated to a point where now President Biden is due to hold talks with Vladimir Putin about it during the upcoming Geneva summit.
Over the last month or so, the hackers have exploited multiple weak links in USA’s cybersecurity structure in a rather brazen fashion. First came an attack on US’s biggest fuel pipeline, blocking the supply of fuel for weeks and basically bringing the country to a standstill. Now, just last weekend, the world’s largest meatpacker was attacked by a group of cybercriminals. The people of US are panicking, and rightly so. Many security experts have claimed that US adversaries can easily attack the country’s power grid. The fact that it’s so easy to change the dynamics of their lives, as indicated by the Colonial pipeline attack, is spreading terror across the country.
As the President prepares to send a message to the Russian leader, the government is also instructing private companies to be more vigilant and transparent. Another direction for the private companies is to not give into the demands of the hackers. Often we see companies, when attacked by ransomware, concede to the demands of the hackers. This encourages the cybercriminals to continue exploiting different people and organizations. If a company finds itself facing such a ransomware attack, then they are supposed to report it to the federal government.