Last Updated on 22/11/2021 by Sanskriti
A cybercrime summit meeting is scheduled by the United States virtually, for 30-countries worldwide. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the increasing threats of cyberattacks. But Russia was not invited to the meeting, a senior administration official said. Private-sector cybersecurity specialists believe many ransomware groups operate out of Ukraine and Russia. Russian ransomware gangs are thought to operate with the Kremlin’s implicit consent but are not directly controlled by the government, according to some US officials and analysts.
The meeting will last two days and include six sessions on topics such as addressing the use of virtual currency to launder ransom payments, prosecuting ransomware criminals, using diplomacy to combat ransomware, and assisting countries in becoming more resilient to such attacks, according to an administration official.
India, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom, together with the United States, will lead talks on issues such as disruption, virtual currency, and diplomacy. Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Mexico, Japan, Ireland, Israel, Ukraine, South Africa, and the European Union are among those attending.
According to a senior administration official, this does not rule out Russia’s participation in future events.“We are having active discussions with the Russians, but in this particular forum they were not invited to participate.”
The US-Kremlin Experts Group, which is chaired by the White House and was created by President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, communicates directly with Russia on the subject of ransomware, according to the official.
The person stated that talks with Russia are ongoing, that the US has given intelligence on particular criminal actors operating within Russia, and that Russia has taken preliminary actions to address the concerns highlighted.
Following a series of cyberattacks this year that threatened to disrupt US energy and food supply, President Joe Biden has raised the response to cybersecurity to the highest levels of the administration.
In May, hackers targeted a Colonial Pipeline pipeline in the eastern United States, causing gasoline shortages.
The Biden administration is hoping that their new informal organisation, dubbed the Counter-Ransomware Initiative, would boost their diplomatic drive, which has included direct discussions with Russia, NATO, and the Group of Seven affluent nations.
