The New York Times reported on Monday that the Biden administration was preparing to take action against Russia in the form of cyberattacks over its alleged hacking of various systems used by government agencies and domestic companies.
Citing sources, the report detailed that the “first major move” may unfold sometime in the next three weeks, and that a “series of clandestine actions across Russian networks that are intended to be evident to President Vladimir Putin and his intelligence services and military but not to the wider world,” will be initiated as well.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has since confirmed that the Biden administration will be responding to the SolarWinds hack “with a mix of actions seen and unseen.”
It’s worth noting that despite claims made by the US, officials in Moscow have firmly rejected any allegations that Russia took part in the hack. In fact, in response to the shocking Times report, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday that the “alarming information … is nothing but international cybercrime” that the US was engaged in.
Incidentally, the Times has made similar reports before, with the last time taking place during the Trump administration. Déjà vu, anyone?