REPUBLICANS are blasting the Biden administration's response to the cyber attack on Colonial Pipeline that caused gas shortages throughout the southeast.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Joe Biden's response to the hack was "naive" and "weak," moments after Biden signed an executive order strengthening cybersecurity initiatives.
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On Wednesday, Biden signed the executive order to prevent and contain cyberattacks by establishing stricter cybersecurity standards for some software companies.
This comes after the Russian crime group DarkSide hacked Colonial Pipeline, causing the shutdown of the main supplier of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to the east coast. Several states experienced gas shortages.
Colonial Pipeline reportedly paid DarkSide nearly $5 million in a ransom to retrieve its stolen data. The company restored its pipeline system on Thursday morning, saying it expects to be at full capacity soon.
On Wednesday, Republican Sen. Graham of South Carolina told FOX News that the Biden administration doesn't understand how to deter cybercrimes.
"They don't understand prevention," Graham said. "Deterrence is achieved by changing our laws so that we can put people in jail and maybe even use the death penalty for cyberterrorism against members of DarkSide."
Biden's executive order applies to all software developers that do business with the federal government, requiring that they make their security data publicly available.
Approximately 85% of America's infrastructure is privately owned, creating an obstacle for government regulation.
In a press conference on Thursday, Biden said his administration is pushing stronger cybersecurity practices for all of America's major infrastructure systems.
"I cannot dictate that the private companies do certain things relative to cybersecurity," Biden said. "But I think it’s becoming clear to everyone that we have to do more than is being done now."
Biden said the Department of Justice has launched a new task force dedicated to holding hackers accountable to the "full extent of the law."
"We do not believe the Russian government was involved in this attack, but we do have strong reason to believe that the criminals who did the attack are living in Russia," Biden said.
Biden called for stronger national cybersecurity initiatives on his first day in office when he announced the American Rescue Plan. His proposed infrastructure package, the American Jobs Plan, would also address cybersecurity.
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