Biden authorizes defense, intelligence, law enforcement to retaliate against cyberattacks

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Thursday authorized defense, intelligence and law enforcement to retaliate against cyberattacks, as well as making mandatory regulations on cybersecurity to the business world.

Biden administration has released its National Cyber Security Strategy Paper, a 35-page document to secure the full benefits of a safe and secure digital ecosystem for all Americans.

“Working in close cooperation with the private sector, my administration has taken steps to protect the American people from hackers, hold bad actors and cybercriminals accountable, and defend against the increasingly malicious cyber campaigns targeting our security and privacy,” the documents said.

The strategy recognizes that the government must use all tools of national power in a coordinated manner to protect national security, public safety, and economic prosperity.

“Disruption campaigns must become so sustained and targeted that criminal cyber activity is rendered unprofitable and foreign government actors engaging in malicious cyber activity no longer see it as an effective means of achieving their goals,” it added.

The new document will make two fundamental shifts in how the US allocates roles, responsibilities, and resources in cyberspace, it said.

“In realizing these shifts, we aspire not just to improve our defenses, but to change those underlying dynamics that currently contravene our interests,” it added.

It called for allies and partners to secure critical infrastructure networks, build effective incident detection and response capabilities, share cyber threat information, pursue diplomatic collaboration, build law enforcement capacity and effectiveness through operational collaboration, and support the shared interests in cyberspace by adhering to international law and reinforcing norms of responsible state behavior.

The cyber counterattack activity will be carried out by the Joint Ransomware Task Force on National Cyber Investigation, which is affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and works with all US agencies.