Biden urges Putin to act against ransomware attacks in call

President Joe Biden said the US will take any action to defend its people and infrastructure against ransomware attacks.

President Joe Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to act against hackers in his country blamed for recent ransomware attacks affecting thousands of companies around the world, warning that the U.S. would defend networks considered vital to the economy. “I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect him to act,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday, after about an hour-long call with the Russian leader. Putin told Biden that their cybersecurity discussions must be “professional and depoliticized” and that he welcomes “in-depth and constructive” cooperation on the issue, according to a Kremlin statement. He noted the U.S. hasn’t asked Russia for any assistance on the attacks in the last month.