The White House expects Russia to retaliate for the tough sanctions imposed upon the nation for its invasion of Ukraine with cyberattacks.
In an official statement, President Joe Biden said the government’s agencies have “evolving intelligence” that the Russian Government is “exploring options for potential cyberattacks” against the US.
“It’s part of Russia’s playbook,” President Biden added.
Although he didn’t specify which organizations Russian cyberattackers might target, the President did say that, if it happens, it will happen against critical infrastructure endpoints.
Locking the digital doors
While the Biden administration will “continue to use every tool to deter, disrupt, and if necessary, respond to cyberattacks”, the letter asks all firms in the private sector to “lock their digital doors” and help out in this endeavor.
“If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defenses immediately by implementing the best practices we have developed together over the last year,” Biden says.
“You have the power, the capacity, and the responsibility to strengthen the cybersecurity and resilience of the critical services and technologies on which Americans rely. We need everyone to do their part to meet one of the defining threats of our time — your vigilance and urgency today can prevent or mitigate attacks tomorrow.”
Responding to Russia’s invasion of its western neighbor Ukraine, the western world has imposed heavy sanctions against the country. In the past month, since the invasion began, Russia has been banned from SWIFT, the North Stream 2 gas pipeline was suspended, and the majority of western brands and companies stopped doing business in the country.
The country’s currency, the ruble, dived almost 40%, while the stock exchange has had to be suspended for almost a month. Most of Russia’s tycoons and oligarchs have had their assets blocked or confiscated, including Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, who’s announced plans to sell the club.
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