US and European officials said, the United States and its allies are preparing to respond to Russian cyberattacks amid rising tensions over Ukraine and are considering a series of retaliatory or sanctions measures based on the type of cyberattack.
According to Pak Sahafat news agency, quoted by Reuters, US President Joe Biden told reporters after Ukraine reported that the Defense Ministry and two banks had been hacked that Washington was working closely with its NATO allies and other regional partners to expand defense against cyber-threats.
US and European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: The response to the cyber-attacks, which Western security experts believe was carried out by Russia, has not been determined.
A US official said: “Biden has said that we will respond to Russia’s actions, even if it is not a military invasion. But this reaction depends on the extent and scale of the cyberattacks.
A European diplomat also said that cyberattacks are a Russian strategy and have been used by Moscow in the past for military confrontation with Georgia and Ukraine.
“This is part of their game book,” he said, emphasizing the Westerners’ decision to use concerted action to hold Moscow accountable for cyber-attacks and other misconduct.
Read more: Revealing the extent of the damage of cyber attacks on Israel / Hebrew media: More than 8,000 cases of cyber complaints are on the table: https://www.paksahafat.com/en/?p=1230
According to the sources, while US, European and Canadian officials have drawn up a detailed package of sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is no exact plan for how to respond to cyber-attacks.
European and US officials also say the situation is partly due to the fact that it takes time to determine exactly who was responsible for the attacks, especially since the attacks are DDOS-type. However, any more destructive and aggressive attack by Russia is likely to provoke a more severe and serious reaction. Some countries, such as France, prefer to publicly avoid blaming cyberattacks.
Two European and US officials also said many Russians were on the sanctions list for past cyberattacks.
A European official also said, Negotiations between the US and Europe in recent weeks have focused more on fine-tuning sanctions in the event of a physical attack and its impact on Russia and the countries imposing sanctions, rather than providing a list of options for cyber-attacks. There is no exact roadmap in case of a cyber-attack because it depends on the aspects of an attack.