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The latter of those excuses is wearing thin after a month in which gasoline supply was severely disrupted in the US and meat production was briefly shut down in several countries due to ransomware attacks, following a period of about two years in which ransomware has experienced a renaissance and evolution.
#Open ransomwhere upgrade
The letter appears to be an opening maneuver in convincing companies to seriously address and upgrade necessary cyber defenses, something that is frequently put off due to budget concerns or a lack of awareness of how serious the consequences could be. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, encouraged companies to voluntarily adopt many of these measures meant to deter ransomware attacks. The White House letter seems to indicate that private industry is expected to follow along. The only firm requirement thus far is that the organizations in question conduct a review of their cybersecurity posture, but there are ambitious changes forthcoming: standardization of attack reporting and information sharing processes, creating a new standard centered on zero-trust architecture, and establishing a universal response playbook among them. The White House responded to the Colonial Pipeline attack with a proposed set of new cybersecurity requirements for federal agencies and their various vendors (via executive order), which is expected to roll out gradually over the remainder of 2021. Successful ransomware attacks prompt nationwide reassessment of security postures Recipients of the letter included companies responsible for maintaining critical infrastructure as well as organizations that engage with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The call is voluntary at this time, but it is an unusual measure for the federal government to take and the straightforward language makes plain that the Biden administration is expecting immediate action.