President Joe Biden has vowed a swift response if Russia launches cyberattacks against the United States.
“If Russia pursues cyber attacks against our companies on critical infrastructure. We are prepared to respond,” Bide said during an address on the Ukraine situation on Thursday. “For months, we’ve been working closely with our private the private sector to harden the cyber defenses and sharpen our ability to respond to the Russian cyber attacks as well,” he added.
The warning comes NBC News reported that the president “has been presented with a menu of options for the US to carry out massive cyberattacks designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine.”
The options presented include disrupting the internet across Russia, shutting off power and stopping trains in their tracks, according to NBC News.
It also comes as several media outlets reported that Biden has ordered the deployment of 7,000 US service members to Europe.
Biden said he’d authorized “the deployment of ground and air forces already stationed in Europe,” to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. He also said he’d authorized “additional US force capabilities” be sent to Germany as part of NATO’s response to Russia’s aggression.
The deployment includes armored brigade combat teams with associated capabilities, an administration official told CNN. “They will deploy to Germany to reassure NATO Allies, deter Russian aggression and be prepared to support a range of requirements in the region. We expect them to depart in the coming days,” the official said.
UKRAINE: President Biden says the US is "prepared to respond" if Russia launches cyber attacks against the United States. pic.twitter.com/yKSsHO1IvP
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 24, 2022