On June 3, 2021, the White House took the bold step of expressly warning companies to urgently take specific steps to protect themselves from ransomware attacks. High-profile ransomware attacks in the US have escalated recently, crippling infrastructure (the Colonial Pipeline) and disrupting food supply (nine JBS Foods USA beef plants). The White House’s call to action represents an important step by the US government both to raise awareness of threat actors and to recommend actions companies can take to protect themselves in this environment.
Although not explicitly threatened in the White House’s message, it is safe to assume that federal and state regulators in the US and in other jurisdictions may consider whether companies heeded this warning in assessing the adequacy of corporate cybersecurity measures.
