During a Wednesday briefing, White House officials have urged American companies to take “immediate steps” against potential ransomware attacks after two incidents targeting a major oil pipeline and meat processing firms.
The warning addressed to “corporate executives and business leaders” was issued by National Security Council’s Adviser Anne Neuberger who insisted that the matter is the President’s top priority.
“All organizations must recognize that no company is safe from being targeted by ransomware, regardless of size or location,” she said.
“But there are immediate steps you can take to protect yourself, as well as your customers and the broader economy.”
The White House sent an open letter to private sector leaders detailing steps they should take against foreign hackers believed to be Russian group members known as “Sodinokibi.”
“The most important takeaway from the recent spate of ransomware attacks on US, 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.”
“Our guidance continues to be from the FBI that companies should not pay ransom because it incentivizes these attacks on other companies,” the official concluded.
