US President warns of impending Russian cyber attacks

The US President has issued a statement that uses the likelihood of malicious action by Russia to implore companies to urgently improve their cyber defences.

Joe Biden’s statement is thin on specifics and, under normal circumstances, one might be tempted to treat it with scepticism. After all, it’s not unprecedented for governments to fabricate a crisis in order to increase their power or to distract from their mistakes. These are not normal circumstances, however, and the brutality of Russia’s assault on Ukraine makes it easy to believe it’s capable of any escalation.

“Most of America’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and critical infrastructure owners and operators must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors,” Biden went on to say. “We need everyone to do their part to meet one of the defining threats of our time — your vigilance and urgency today can prevent or mitigate attacks tomorrow.”

While Biden directed his statement to American companies, it seems fair to assume the threat applies equally to other NATO countries, especially those that have made a conspicuous point in assisting Ukraine in its defence, such as the UK. It’s also likely that cyber security departments have been on high alert since the start of the Ukraine crisis, but they can always do more.

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