Biden calls on Putin to act on ransomware attacks, revenge suggests Business and Economic News

President Joe Biden said the U.S. will take any action to defend its people and infrastructure against rescue attacks.

President Joe Biden pressured Russian President Vladimir Putin to blame the latest bailout attacks on thousands of companies around the world in his country, and warned that he would defend networks that the US considered essential to the economy.

“I made it very clear that the United States expects a ransomware operation when it comes from its land, even if it is not protected by the state, which we hope to act on,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday with an hour-long call from the Russian leader.

Putin said Biden said the cybersecurity debate should be “professional and depoliticized” and supports “deep and constructive” cooperation on the issue, according to a Kremlin document. He noted that the US had not asked Russia for help in the past month.

The White House said in a statement that Biden “stressed the need for Russia to take action to suspend ransomware groups operating in Russia and stressed its continued commitment to the widespread threat posed by ransomware.”

Biden stressed that the US “will take the necessary measures to defend its people and critical infrastructure in the face of this ongoing challenge,” according to the statement.

The U.S. president is under pressure to respond to ransomware attacks in Russia, including more than 1,000 companies with victims in at least 17 countries last week, and the courageous rally last week that led to a cyber attack on the Republican National Commission.

A Russian-affiliated Ransomware group, known as REvil, is believed to be behind the attack caused by IT management software by Kaseya Ltd. and is believed to be responsible for the RNC attack, according to people familiar with the matter. The Biden administration has not officially blamed the attack on Russia.

The attacks continued even after Biden set red lines for cyberattacks at Putin’s summit in Geneva last month. Biden said Putin gave him a list at a meeting of 16 critical sectors that, if attacked, could lead to U.S. revenge.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that REvil “works in Russia and other countries around the world.”

But he said “we have no additional or new information for the Russian government to direct these attacks.”

U.S. and Russian cyber officials said in a statement that they are scheduled to hold talks next week.