Officials: Russian cyberattack response being set

The U.S. has already been coordinating with NATO allies and partners to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and prepare retaliatory actions or sanctions against Russia for state-sponsored cyberattacks amid increasing tensions over Ukraine, said President Joe Biden just hours after Ukraine reported a cyberattack on its defense ministry and two of its banks, according to Reuters. Russia is believed to be behind the attacks, which have not been unexpected, according to U.S. and European officials. "The president has said we will respond to Russian actions short of a military invasion. But what is decided depends on the extent of the cyberattacks. There are so many ranges, it's hard to go into specifics," a U.S. official said. Moreover, a European diplomat noted that Russia has long leveraged cyberattacks in previous attacks in Georgia and Ukraine. However, officials said that the U.S., Canada, and Europe have yet to develop a detailed cyberattack response strategy even though sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have already been ready. "There's no detailed roadmap for what do in the event of a cyberattack. That will depend on the specifics of the case," said a European diplomat.