US President Joe Biden has issued some harsh words about recent state-sponsored cyberattacks and criminal ransomware, suggesting that if the US ends up in a “real war” it would be because of a major cyberattack.
See also: Babuk Locker ransomware: The gang's website was filled with porn images/GIFs
Biden's comments follow the REVIL ransomware attack this month on the managed service provider (MSP) customers of US software vendor Kaseya, which affected 60 MSPs and about 1,500 of its customers.
Cyberattacks have become a key topic of discussion in talks between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks, following the SolarWinds attack that affected U.S. federal agencies and cybersecurity firms, as well as criminal ransomware attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and JBS meat market.
Addressing the US intelligence community, he said the path to war with a major power would likely be a consequence of a major future cyberattack against the US.
See also: SolarWinds hackers: Use iOS zero-day bug to compromise updated iPhones
“ You know, we’ve seen how cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, can increasingly cause damage and disruption in the real world ,” Biden said
“I can't guarantee it, and you're as informed as I am, but I think it's more likely that we'll end up, if we end up in a war, a real war with a major force, as a consequence of a high-impact cyber breach. And the possibilities are increasing exponentially.“
See also: Biden: Will sign executive order to "restrict" Big Tech
He also downplayed the state of Russia's economy under Putin, who "has a real problem" that makes the Russian president dangerous. Biden added that Russia's alleged disinformation campaign targeting the 2022 US election is "a clear violation of our sovereignty.".
Biden also warned Putin that critical infrastructure should be “off limits” at the G7 talks in Geneva last month.
