Security News > 2021 > March > US Moves Closer to Retaliation Over Hacking as Cyber Woes Grow
A senior US official said Friday the Biden administration is close to a decision on retaliation for state-sponsored hacking as fears grew over the fallout from the latest of two major cyberattacks.
The official said the White House was working closely with the private sector to ramp up cyber defenses following the attacks which targeted Microsoft Exchange servers and SolarWinds security software, potentially compromising thousands of government and private computer networks.
US officials had previously hinted at moves against Russia, which has been linked to the massive SolarWinds hack that shook the government and corporate security last year.
"You can expect further announcements on that in weeks, not months," the senior official said, in reference to SolarWinds, in a briefing with reporters on the two hacking incidents.
An urgent effort is underway to remedy the Microsoft Exchange hack, which opened security holes that are actively being exploited by cybercriminals and others.
The comments came as a new strain of ransomware has emerged which exploits a security flaw in Microsoft Exchange servers, signaling potentially damaging consequences from the high-profile hack.