President-elect Joe Biden pressured Donald Trump on Tuesday to name the hackers behind the SolarWinds breach, saying that the evidence suggests Russia is responsible.
Biden also faulted the incumbent president for his handling of the nation’s digital defenses and vowed to do “all that needs to be done” to get to the bottom of the sweeping cyber espionage campaign, then punish the culprits.
“It is a grave risk and it continues. I see no evidence that it’s under control,” Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. “The Defense Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control. This president hasn’t even identified who is responsible yet.”
Biden’s remarks amounted to his most extensive statement on cybersecurity since winning office. They came shortly after Trump downplayed the severity of the backdoor inserted into SolarWinds software that has afflicted both Cabinet departments and major companies, and after Trump raised the possibility China might be responsible — even as his own top officials blame Russia.
“Cyberattacks must be treated as a serious threat by our leadership at the highest level,” Biden said. “That means making clear and [public] who’s responsible for the attack and taking meaningful steps to hold them to account.”
Biden cited Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr pointing to Russia, and added that the nature of the attack “certainly fits Russia’s long history of reckless and disruptive cyber activities.”
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
