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Joe Biden’s White House announced that it’s a “private sector decision” as to whether Colonial Pipeline should pay ransom to the cyberterrorists who attacked its systems last week.
Yes, really.
In yet another signal that the Biden administration doesn’t have the backs of American companies, Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber & Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said Colonial has to consider “the cost-benefit” of paying ransom to the hackers to bring the pipeline back online.
“We recognize that victims of cyberattacks often face a very difficult situation,” Neuberger said. “And they have to just balance often the cost-benefit when they have no choice with regard to paying a ransom.”
“Colonial is a private company and we’ll defer information regarding their decision on paying a ransom to them.”
A reporter then pressed Neuberger about whether the Biden White House is offering any assistance or advice to Colonial about paying the ransom at all.
“Typically, that is a private sector decision,” she said, adding that “the administration has not offered further advice at this time.”
The cybercriminal gang, known as DarkSide, released a statement on its website Monday claiming it’s an “apolitical” group who was just trying “to make money” by paralyzing U.S. fuel distribution.
“We are apolitical, we do not participate in geopolitics, do not need to tie us with a defined government and look for our motives,” the statement said.
“Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society. From today we introduce moderation and check each company that our partners want to encrypt to avoid social consequences in the future.”
Sounds like Biden has no plans to punish the foreign hackers who extorted America’s largest oil pipeline, and isn’t even offering national security assistance to Colonial.
In fact, Biden’s Secretary of Commerce said Monday that cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure are “here to stay.”
Biden and Barack Obama have a long history of appeasing hostile actors, whether it’s Iran, China, or Cuba.
President Trump’s reaction to this shameful lack of leadership ought to be interesting.
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