Minutes after President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on Russian banks and elites on Tuesday, a senior FBI cyber official asked US businesses and local governments to be mindful of the potential for ransomware attacks, Report informs, citing CNN.
Russia is a "permissive operating environment" for cybercriminals -- one that "is not going to get any smaller" as Russia's confrontation with the West over Ukraine continues and further sanctions are announced, the FBI's David Ring said on a phone briefing with private executives and state and local officials, according to two people who were on the call.
The TV channel reported that the FBI and National Security Department held briefings on similar topics for the past two months.