White House to Private Firms: Deterring Cyber Attacks is Your Job, Too

The White House warned American businesses on Thursday to take urgent security measures to protect against ransomware attacks, as hackers shift their tactics from stealing data to disrupting critical infrastructure, reports the New York Times. Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, wrote that the Joe Biden administration was working with partners “to disrupt and deter” attacks that deployed ransomware but urged companies to adopt many of the same defensive steps that it has recently required of federal agencies and companies that do business with the government.

Companies have been slow to adopt a defensive infrastructure for cyberattacks, despite discussing the move for years, because either the threat seemed distant or the cost far too high. Neuberger urged firms to make sure that their “corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operation are separated,” so that an attack on business records, such as emails or billing operations, does not cut off critical production and supply lines. The past month has shown that companies often do not understand the linkages between those two. The recent attacks have propelled ransomware to the top of President Biden’s national security agenda. It is expected to be part of his discussions next week in Europe, during meetings with allies and in his summit with President Vladimir Putin.