No evidence that cyber attack on U.S. is under control, says Biden

[webfact]

No evidence that cyber attack on U.S. is under control, says Biden

By Simon Lewis

 

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the recent massive cyber attack against the U.S. and also other Biden administration goals in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., December 22, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday he had seen no evidence that a massive cyber attack against the United States is under control and warned that the breach will not go unanswered once he takes office on Jan. 20.

 

Biden, the Democratic former vice president, said President Donald Trump needs to squarely place blame for the hack on Russia - something he has yet to do even though both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have accused Moscow.

 

Trump has floated the idea on Twitter that China might be responsible for the hacking spree. Uncovered last week, it breached at least half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed.

 

“It is a grave risk and it continues," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. "I see no evidence that it’s under control. I see none. Heard of none. Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control."

 

Biden faulted Trump for stripping U.S. defenses against cyber attacks, saying: "This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching."

 

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday that a widespread data breach of the government apparently carried out by the Russian government poses a "grave risk" to national security that cannot "go unanswered."

 

Responding to the cyber attack is among a host of issues Biden faces when he starts work in the Oval Office. After defeating Trump in a November election, he also must fight the coronavirus pandemic and work with Congress to battle the economic damage from COVID-19 lockdowns.

 

Biden said on Tuesday his administration will put forward another COVID-19 relief package next year, including a new round of stimulus payments, after Congress passed an $892 billion relief package this week.

 

The next COVID relief bill should address vaccine distribution, unemployment, a moratorium on evictions for people who cannot pay their mortgages, and PPE and other supplies to businesses, he said.

 

HOW TO RESPOND

Biden said his administration will take meaningful steps to respond to the cyber breach.

 

The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that Biden's response to the hacking campaign would go beyond sanctions. Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to degrade the capacity of foreign actors to engage in cyber attacks against the United States.

 

Options being mulled by the Biden administration to punish Moscow for its alleged role include financial penalties and retaliatory hacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

 

The Kremlin denies any role in the hacking.

 

"The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at, very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are, and what damage has been done," Biden said.

 

A source with Biden's transition team said on Tuesday Biden would nominate Connecticut's commissioner of education, Miguel Cardona, as his pick for U.S. Secretary of Education as he finishes selecting a new Cabinet.

 

Cardona is a veteran teacher and school administrator, a choice that would align with a pledge Biden made during his presidential campaign to appoint a teacher as education secretary.

 

A transition spokesman told Reuters he could not confirm the appointment.

 

Biden has not yet nominated an attorney general or director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

 

(Reporting by Simon Lewis in Wilmington; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw, Brad Heath, Michael Martina and Eric Beech; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Matthew Lewis and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-23

 

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[Thailand]

Trump is equally out of control as is the virus and the hacking.

 

Trump seems to have completely lost it. There must be some sort of contingency in law wherby he could be declared insane and removed from office before he causes even more damage as his reign comes to an end.

[ourmanflint]

Democrats seem to be the trigger happy party at times, I sort of expected more balance.

[teacherclaire]

37 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Trump is equally out of control as is the virus and the hacking.

 

Trump seems to have completely lost it. There must be some sort of contingency in law wherby he could be declared insane and removed from office before he causes even more damage as his reign comes to an end.

And sent to a mental institution. Some electroshocks might help him. 

[OneMoreFarang]

The idea of professional hackers is to get lots of information, maybe change things, and obscure what they did. 

That means likely nobody will every know in detail what the hackers actually did. Best assume worst case scenario - they know everything and changed things in a way that you will never find out.

Edited December 23, 2020 by OneMoreFarang

[cmarshall]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The idea of professional hackers is to get lots of information, maybe change things, and obscure what they did. 

That means likely nobody will every know in detail what the hackers actually did. Best assume worst case scenario - they know everything and changed things in a way that you will never find out.

 

In fact, the whole episode is and will always be completely invisible to those of us in the public.  Like the Gulg of Tonkin Incident, as a matter of fact.

[vandeventer]

So Joe how many times did this happen on yours and Obama's Watch? And what would you do start world war 3 with Russia? Come on man, make my day. There's no fool like a very old fool! God help us all if you get in power!

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, ourmanflint said:

Democrats seem to be the trigger happy party at times, I sort of expected more balance.

Balance? Are you upset because Mr. Biden has expressed his concern that foreign agents have been able to penetrate important data systems in the USA? Surely, it is time someone said something, yes? I am puzzled that the current president of USA has said nothing, and his political supporters have not said anything. Now consider if this had happened with President Obama. I expect that The republican actionnaries would be screaming of treason and accusing poor government etc.  

[Jeffr2]

40 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

So Joe how many times did this happen on yours and Obama's Watch? And what would you do start world war 3 with Russia? Come on man, make my day. There's no fool like a very old fool! God help us all if you get in power!

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/feb/20/donald-trump/has-donald-trump-been-much-tougher-russia-barack-o/

The consensus among experts is that Obama was more forceful than Trump has been to date on countering election meddling.

 

"The key difference from Obama was (Trump’s) unwillingness to take the meddling issue head on," said Stephen Sestanovich, a senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

[Chomper Higgot]

42 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

So Joe how many times did this happen on yours and Obama's Watch? And what would you do start world war 3 with Russia? Come on man, make my day. There's no fool like a very old fool! God help us all if you get in power!

Not even straight up whataboutary, you have to fantasize a fiber attack during Obama’s Administration to base your whataboutary on.

 

 

[Berkshire]

Joe hit the nail on the head....

 

["Donald Trump's entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale," Biden tweeted in June. Addressing the issue during the first presidential debate, Biden called Trump "Putin's puppy."]

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-called-trump-putin-s-puppy-president-elect-may-put-n1251983

 

[ChakaKhan]

Seems "evidence" is unnecessarily around here with the current wannabe dictator, or at least until Jan 20th..

[teacherclaire]

C'Mon, there can't be a Cyber Attack,  please ask Dr. Kaspersky. 

 

   The country that has control over the Internet controls the whole world.

 

   

[Jeffr2]

For most, Trump's an easy read.  He was doing biz in Russia, even though he lied about it to us, and thus, will do whatever it takes to make Putin happy.  Any normal president would be handing out sanctions on Russia right now. 

 

One reason you DO NOT want a president with vested businesses around the world.

Edited December 23, 2020 by onthedarkside
quote of hidden post removed

[onthedarkside]

OK, time to get this thread back on track and on topic, please!

 

Numerous posts have been removed, including disallowed social media videos, trolling memes, off-topic exchanges re presidential pardons and Trump's draft history, and misc other stuff including replies to all of the above.

 

The topic of this thread is:

 

No evidence that cyber attack on U.S. is under control, says Biden

[Thailand]

8 hours ago, vandeventer said:

So Joe how many times did this happen on yours and Obama's Watch? And what would you do start world war 3 with Russia? Come on man, make my day. There's no fool like a very old fool! God help us all if you get in power!

Guess what!

[BusyB]

10 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The idea of professional hackers is to get lots of information, maybe change things, and obscure what they did. 

That means likely nobody will every know in detail what the hackers actually did. Best assume worst case scenario - they know everything and changed things in a way that you will never find out.

 

Just like the Americans do ...

[Tug]

Once again trump  is derelict in his oath of office to protect America meanwhile the wolf runs amock in the hen house he’s melting down imo history may cast him in the traitors role like Bennidict Arnold time will tell