US NSC warns Biden govt to secure targets against Russian cyberattacks

Biden administration on Friday, Feb. 18 was warned about a potential cyberattack from Russia, particularly in the defence industry, that could comprise government data and disrupt the operations across a wide range of sectors. At a White House briefing, US Deputy National Security Advisors Anne Neuberger and Daleep Singh warned that Russia has used cyber attacks as a major part of its military activity beyond its borders, including to undermine, coerce, and destabilize Ukraine.  

And therefore, on President Joe Biden’s orders, the US has been working to prepare for potential cyberattacks and shore up the cyber defences, said Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Neuberger, and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Singh. The US government, said the deputy national security advisers, has been preparing for potential geopolitical contingencies from Russia and has coordinated extensive outreach with the private sector, specifically private sector owners and operators of critical infrastructure to secure the cyber systems. 

“We’ve seen troubling signs of malicious cyber activity, a kind of cyberattack known as a DDoS attack that overloads online services at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and state-owned banks,” said US Deputy National Security Advisors Anne Neuberger and Daleep Singh.

Russia will start “malicious behaviour against Ukraine in cyberspace, including pre-positioning for its potential invasion,” they further added, underlying intelligence with Ukraine and with the European partners.

US threatens sanctions to dismantle Russian financial institutions and state-owned enterprises

US defense sector and the companies have gone at “unprecedented and extraordinary lengths to share sensitive information and, most importantly, to outline specific steps companies can take to make their systems more secure,” stated US Deputy National Security Advisors Anne Neuberger and Daleep Singh at the White House briefing alongside Biden’s press secreatry Jen Psaki. 

Washington on Friday warned that the cost to Russia “would be immense, both to its economy and its strategic position in the world.” The Deputy national security officials asserted that the US is prepared to slap the financial sanctions that will prove to be “overwhelming and immediate” and will dismantle the largest financial institutions and state-owned enterprises in Russia. The two officials called on Russia for ‘de-escalation,’ threatening the economic sanctions and export controls involving the critical technological inputs. 

The US Department of Energy has shared technical indicators of techniques that will be used by Russian cyber actors, that bear similarities with the cyberattacks against Ukrainian electricity systems during prior crises in Ukraine, warned Singh and Neuberger. “We’re using the authorities we have to require companies to put in place the cyber defenses needed,” they said. The TSA has issued directives that require oil and gas pipelines to report cyber incidents, conduct vulnerability assessments, and exercise their incident response plans. 

TSA is also rampantly working to expand that to both the aviation and railroad sectors within Washington. Disruptive cyberattacks will likely accompany a potential invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. US officials have been holding discussions on cyber resilience, deterrence of cyberattacks, and to ensure “we’re prepared to address any cyber contingencies,” the US deputy national security advisers said. 

US officials have met with Polish and Baltic counterparts; our NATO Allies; and our European partners, including France and Germany. US president Joe Biden at a presser stated that if Russia attacks, the “United States or our Allies through asymmetric activities, like disruptive cyberattacks against our companies or critical infrastructure, we are prepared to respond.”