President Joe Biden said “we’re not sure” that Russia is behind a massive ransomware attack on at least 20 managed-service providers.
“I directed the full resources of the government to assist in the response if needed,” Biden told reporters during a trip to Michigan on Saturday. He said he asked US intelligence officials for a “deep dive” on what happened.
“We’re not sure it’s the Russians,” Biden said. “I got a brief on the plane. The initial thinking was, it was not Russian government, but we’re not sure yet.”
The timing of the attack is sensitive, just weeks after Biden implored Russian President Vladimir Putin to curb cyber crime.
“I directed the intelligence community to give me a deep dive on what’s happened, and I’ll know better tomorrow, and if it is either knowledge of and/or consequences of Russia, I told Putin we will respond,” Biden said, adding that he hasn’t called the Russian president about the latest case.
REvil, a Russia-linked group blamed for the May 30 ransomware attack of meatpacking giant JBS SA, is believed to be behind the hacks on at least 20 managed-service providers, which provide IT services to small- and medium-sized businesses.
More than 1,000 businesses are affected and the number is expected to increase, according to the cybersecurity firm Huntress Labs Inc.
