US officials tell businesses to watch for potential ransomware attacks after Biden announces Russia sanctions
CNN
Minutes after President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russian banks and elites on Tuesday, a senior FBI cyber official asked US businesses and local governments to be mindful of the potential for ransomware attacks as the crisis between the Kremlin and Ukraine deepens.
Russia is a "permissive operating environment" for cybercriminals -- one that "is not going to get any smaller" as Russia's confrontation with the West over Ukraine continues and further sanctions are announced, the FBI's David Ring said on a phone briefing with private executives and state and local officials, according to two people who were on the call.
Ring asked state and local officials and business executives to consider how ransomware attacks could disrupt the provision of critical services, the people on the call said.