President Joe Biden gathered with business and government leaders to discuss improving cybersecurity after high-profile attacks that raised questions about so-called critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Biden and key cabinet officials hosted leaders from the finance and utility sectors, as well as the CEOs of Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft. The gathering comes after hacks and data breaches that have targeted a major US oil pipeline, a meatpacking company and the Microsoft Exchange email system, as well as ransomware attacks in various regions.
I invite you all here today because you have the power and the capacity and the responsibility to raise the level of cyber security,” Biden said.
Following the talks, leading tech companies, including three global leaders in cloud computing, announced training programs and investments in cyber security.
For example, Microsoft, according to a tweet by CEO Satya Nadella, plans to invest $20 billion in its cybersecurity efforts over five years, as well as “to help US government agencies upgrade security.” for $150 million”.
Amazon promised in a statement to make security training for employees available to the general public, and Google said it would invest $10 billion over five years to help “secure the software supply chain.
The latest attack, which affected Microsoft email servers and the widely deployed SolarWinds security software, raises questions about the security of 16 “critical infrastructure” sectors, including energy, utilities, defense, food and manufacturing.
Some analysts have called for tougher sanctions against Russia and other countries accused of harboring cybercriminals. Others have suggested more scrutiny of the cryptocurrency, which hackers use to collect ransomware.
Source: eNCA
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