Security News > 2021 > June > White House urges businesses to "take ransomware crime seriously"
The White House has urged business leaders and corporate executives to take ransomware attacks seriously in a letter issued by Anne Neuberger, the National Security Council's chief cybersecurity adviser.
"The most important takeaway from the recent spate of ransomware attacks on U.S., Irish, German and other organizations around the world is that companies that view ransomware as a threat to their core business operations rather than a simple risk of data theft will react and recover more effectively," Neuberger said.
Here's the open letter Anne Neuberger sent to the business world yesterday on behalf of the WH, warning about ransomware and telling them how to take basic cyber hygiene steps.
The White House issued this letter after several ransomware incidents impacted US companies in the last 30 days, all of them orchestrated by cybercriminals groups believed to be Russian-based.
An attack coordinated by the DarkSide ransomware gang forced Colonial Pipeline to shut down the largest pipeline in the US and pay a $5 million ransom in early May. On May 31, the world's largest meat processor JBS was also forced to shut down production after REvil ransomware operators breached and encrypted some of its North American and Australian IT system.
"The U.S. Government is working with countries around the world to hold ransomware actors and the countries who harbor them accountable, but we cannot fight the threat posed by ransomware alone," Neuberger concluded.