Biden says US bringing full strength of federal govt to disrupt malicious cyber activity
Nov 08, 2021
Washington [US], November 9 : US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) said that the United States is using the full capability of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity.
"We are bringing the full strength of the federal government to disrupt malicious cyber activity and actors, bolster resilience at home, address the abuse of virtual currency to launder ransom payments, and leverage international cooperation to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem and address safe harbours for ransomware criminals," Biden said in a statement.
Furthermore, the US President said that the unsealed US indictments announced against Russian and Ukrainian nationals for alleged cybercrimes in the United States fulfill his pledge to Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold cybercriminals accountable.
"When I met with President Putin in June, I made clear that the United States would take action to hold cybercriminals accountable. That's what we have done today," he said.
"Since the earliest days of my Administration, cybersecurity has been a core priority as we have marshaled a comprehensive national effort, as well as broad international coordination, to protect our people and critical infrastructure, our allies, and our interests. I commend the Department of Justice, and the FBI, the Department of State, and Department of the Treasury for their efforts to counter cyber threats," he said further.
The statement comes after the US unsealed indictments against Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin and Ukrainian national Yaroslav Vasinskyi over a July ransomware attack.