Security News > 2021 > July > Biden: Severe cyberattacks could escalate to 'real shooting war'
President Joe Biden warned that cyberattacks leading to severe security breaches could lead to a "Real shooting war" with another major world power.
"You know, we've seen how cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, increasingly are able to cause damage and disruption to the real world," Biden said during a speech at the National Counterterrorism Center of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
During his remarks in front of intelligence personnel at the Liberty Crossing Intelligence Campus, Biden also implied that Russia is already involved in 2022 elections disinformation campaigns targeting US citizens getting their information from the Internet rather than other vetted sources.
These remarks come after a NATO statement issued during mid-June said that cyberattacks are comparable to "Armed attacks" in some circumstances.
In early June, following the Colonial Pipeline and JBS ransomware attacks, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger warned US businesses to take ransomware seriously.
Earlier this month, President Biden asked Russian President Putin during a phone call to disrupt ransomware groups operating from Russia's territory, saying that the US will take "Any necessary action" required to defend its people and critical infrastructure from these attacks.