- The US government plans to form a 30-nation coalition to combat the growing ransomware threat.
- President Biden has urged all Americans, including private companies, to work together to secure the nation’s cyberspace.
- The US has been the country most affected by ransomware attacks, the most fresh in minds being the Colonial Pipeline hack, so the President wants to intervene.
The Biden administration is preparing to form a coalition of 30 countries to combat the effects of ransomware, the illegal use of cryptocurrencies and other related issues. Due to the increase in these attacks, ransomware has become a top security concern for the White House, and many of the country’s institutions are already working together to combat this crime.
Coalition Against Cybercriminals
Wanting to delve deeper into this issue, President Biden announced to the media on Friday that he will bring together 30 countries to address the growing threats posed by ransomware in the United States. The meeting, which is planned to take place this month, will be attended by high-level security officials of the designated countries.
According to the president’s statement, the goals of the coalition will be to “stop the illicit use of cryptocurrency and address these issues diplomatically”, as well as promote cooperation between member states and law enforcement. According to reports, the organization may be called the Anti-Ransomware Initiative and the first meeting will be held virtually.
As for which countries the partnership will include, Biden; “Close partnership with countries around the world, including our NATO allies and G7 partners, to respond to cybersecurity threats” commented on their establishment.
This is not America’s first move to cooperate against cybercrime. An attempt was made to cooperate with Russia in June, when President Biden requested Russian President Putin to intensify efforts to find cybercriminals operating abroad. Despite these efforts, the cyberattacks continued, causing US officials to be skeptical of the Kremlin’s intentions.