Biden slams Trump over sloppy response to Russia cyberattack

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President-elect Joe Biden berates President Trump for refusing to blame Russia for the recently discovered massive cyberattack in the U.S.
• Biden also believes that the Trump administration did not give enough priority to cybersecurity.
• Despite experts’ advice, Trump downplayed Russia’s role in the hack, adding that China could be behind the cyber espionage operations.

On Tuesday, president-elect Joe Biden criticizes President Donald Trump for his response to the hacking operation that has infiltrated private businesses and U.S. government offices that experts think was Russia’s work.

Biden, talking to journalists in Wilmington, Delaware, criticized Trump for not taking the breach seriously even if it was an obvious threat to the country’s national security.

“The truth is this: The Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity,” Biden said. “This assault happened on Donald Trump’s watch, when he wasn’t watching.”

The online hack could be one of the most effective cyberattacks against the U.S. government and businesses in the history of the country. The attackers seemed able to infiltrate the information by starting with Austin, Texas-based, SolarWinds — a firm that offers remote data technology services to users worldwide, including a handful of  U.S. government departments and large companies.

While the hack was only discovered the previous week, the attack has been happening since March.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other intelligence experts believe that the Russians are responsible for the attack.

Trump, though, has refrained from blaming Russia. He also appeared to contradict leading administration officials, suggesting without proof that China, might have an involvement. 

Trump explained on Twitter this weekend that the cyber hack is not as alarming as fake news, noting that everything is under control.  He added that Russia is always blamed when it could have been China.

Trump’s remarks were another indicator of his refusal to censure Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies believed obstructed the 2016 election to help the president win.

NBC News reported that the White House was getting ready to release a statement Friday officially attributing the cyberattack to Russia but were instructed to halt. The official who told the outlet did not specify who gave the order.

Source: NBC News