Since 2020, there have been an alarming amount of hackings and ransomware attacks throughout the U.S. It has almost become the norm to hear about one of these, but that is unacceptable when we have the technology to prevent them from ever occurring. Incidents like SolarWinds, Accellion, Oldsmar, Verkada, and Colonial Pipeline all could have been prevented.

Recent Cyber Attacks

Here are just a handful of cyber attacks that have occurred since last year:

How Is the U.S. Government Responding?

In December 2020, President-elect Joe Biden issued the following in a statement:

“I want to be clear: my administration will make cybersecurity a top priority at every level of government… We will elevate cybersecurity as an imperative across the government, further strengthen partnerships with the private sector, and expand our investment in the infrastructure and people we need to defend against malicious cyber attacks.”

He also finished his statement by stating, “Our adversaries should know that, as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation.”

Following the hack on Colonial Pipeline, President Joe Biden delivered on his promise by signing an executive order that will work towards strengthening U.S. cybersecurity defenses.

In a recent article through the Institute for New Economic Thinking on ransomware, Melissa Hathaway, a cybersecurity expert who served in two U.S. presidential administrations, stated the following:

  • “First, the U.S. Department of the Treasury OFAC should expand its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) to include as many of the ransomware gangs as possible.”
  • “Second, the U.S. Department of Justice should determine and make clear that paying a ransom is illegal.”
  • “Lastly, policymakers should prioritize identifying who is backing — or ignoring — these syndicates that are holding our institutions hostage with ransomware.”

According to Breaking Defense’s article, Jen Easterly (Biden’s nominee to take over the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) also recently stated the following:

  • “If the past year has taught us anything, it’s the obligation we have as leaders to anticipate the unimaginable.”
  • “I believe as a nation we remain at great risk of a catastrophic cyberattack.”

Hardsec Technology is the Answer

Q-Net Security is already working alongside the U.S. Air Force and other agencies to protect our nation’s critical military infrastructure. We’re using hardsec (hardware security) technology, which relies on hardware, rather than software, to protect a network from attack. Contact us today at [email protected] for our specific government solutions.