US Would Like to See G7 Develop Action Plan to Counter Ransomware, White House Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States would like to see the G7 member states develop a collective plan of action at the upcoming summit this month to counter ransomware, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.

The Biden administration would also like to see the plan of action lay out steps on how G7 countries can share information to better combat ransomware and how to deal with cryptocurrency transactions that fuel the intrusions.

In an aerial view, fuel holding tanks are seen at Colonial Pipeline’s Dorsey Junction Station on May 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Colonial Pipeline has returned to operations following a cyberattack that disrupted gas supply for the eastern U.S. for days.

Last week, the White House said it was in touch with the Russian authorities in light of the hacking attack on the meat-producing giant JBS USA, which led to the closure of its facilities in the United States. The Biden administration said it believes some of the members belonging to the hacker groups reside in Russia.

The Biden administration also said Russia-based hackers breached Colonial Pipeline, one of the United States’ largest providers of fuel that provides around 45 percent of the gasoline to the country’s East coast. Colonial reportedly paid a ransom of about $5 million to the hackers to regain access to their systems.

Sourse: sputniknews.com