Lloyd Austin: Defense Secretary says US has ‘offensive options’ to respond to cyberattacks
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“We have the ability to conduct offensive operations. We also have significant self-defense capabilities and we always look to defend forward from a military point of view, ”Austin said in an exclusive interview with Barbara Starr on Friday.
“I have a number of offensive options,” Austin said, despite not referring specifically to the most recent attack. “We will always maintain credible, effective options.”
A more in-depth version of Austin’s interview will air on CNN Monday.
Austin’s comments come after the hackers behind one of the worst data breaches ever to hit the U.S. government launched a new global cyberattack against more than 150 government agencies, think tanks, and other organizations, according to Microsoft.
The group that Microsoft calls “Nobelium” targeted 3,000 email accounts with various organizations this week – most of them in the United States, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
It believes the hackers are part of the same Russian group behind the devastating attack on SolarWinds – a software maker – that targeted at least nine US federal agencies and 100 companies last year.
According to speakers, the National Security Council of the White House and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been informed of the incident. CISA is “working with the FBI and USAID to better understand the extent of the compromise and to help potential victims,” a spokesman said.
When asked about the United States’ ability to forestall further cyberattacks, Austin Starr said Friday it was his responsibility to present offensive options to President Joe Biden.
“My job is to give the president the ability to choose when to respond. We want good options to choose from. And that is exactly what the Department of Defense is focusing on.” said Austin.
Cybersecurity was a top concern of the US government following revelations that hackers inserted malicious code into a tool released by SolarWinds. A ransomware attack that crippled one of the most vital parts of America’s energy infrastructure – the Colonial Pipeline – earlier this month only added to concerns. This attack was carried out by a criminal group originating in Russia, according to the FBI.
Austin doubled the US government’s focus on the cyber battlefield on Friday.
“The cyberdomain is really important, it’s part of the battlefield, it’s part of the architecture, something that we not only have to pay attention to, but that we have to be dominant in,” he said.
“I am confident that we can continue to do what is necessary to not only hold our own in the competition, but also to stay ahead of the competition in this area.”
CNN’s Jill Disis, Zahid Mahmood, Michael Conte and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
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