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Federal government officially goes after ransomware

RICHARD WEINER
Technology for Lawyers

Published: August 20, 2021

The Biden administration recently made several moves that indicate that it is taking cybersecurity, particularly the threat of ransomware, as a serious national security threat.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently launched the website stopransomware.gov as a part of a massive government response to the critical cybersecurity problem of ransomware. This is a development the Washington Post calls “another sign the administration is increasingly treating ransomware as a top national security threat.”
Most of the recent headlines concerning computer “hacking,” like the Colonial gasoline pipeline shutdown, have actually been reports of ransomware attacks, where a hacker (usually a hacking collective, which is often a hostile government actor), freezes a computer system until a ransom is paid. These ransoms are usually paid in cryptocurrency, which is much harder to trace and claw back than cash.
In addition, the State Department announced that it is instituting up to a $10 million reward for information that helps halt or punish hackers who lock computers using ransomware at vital US industries. That’s a lot more money than hackers usually get from an attack, so it could tempt conspirators to roll over on their comrades.
Other parts of the plan include making it more difficult for ransomware gangs to transfer funds using cryptocurrency; urging international cooperation to combat ransomware; and making U.S. institutions more resilient against hacking.
At virtually the same time, the Senate approved Jen Easterly to head up CISA after Sen. Rick Scott had put a hold on her nomination. Easterly was formerly with the National Security Agency, where she helped set up the US Cyber Command, and was most recently with Morgan Stanley.
Then John Chris Inglis was sworn in as the country’s first national cyber director, a new position created by Congress. Inglis is a former NSA Deputy Director. He will be responsible for coordinating all cybersecurity communications across the government’s branches and agencies. He will be setting up an office that has never existed before, starting with a staff of up to 75 people. Now, one office will be in charge of communications where currently 10 offices compete for attention.
It. Is. About. Time.


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