Commerce secretary on cyberattacks against corporations: ‘This is the reality’

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday that companies should brace for the reality that cyberattacks have become the norm, but stopped short of proposing that the Biden administration require businesses to secure their technology.

Raimondo said the administration would instead urge businesses to adopt standards such as two-factor authentication and remain “vigilant” about expecting cyberattacks.

“This is the reality and we should assume and businesses should assume that these attacks are here to stay and if anything, will intensify,” Raimondo said.

When asked by ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos if the administration should require businesses to take certain security steps, Raimondo said the administration would avoid taking such a “heavy-handed” approach.

.@GStephanopoulos: “Is it time for the administration to take a more direct approach and target the source of these attacks?”

Sec. Raimondo: “We’re not taking anything off the table as we think about possible repercussions, consequences or retaliation.” https://t.co/oO8yapqXTI pic.twitter.com/svPkoW8Xgm

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 6, 2021

“At this point, we are urging businesses, businesses know how to do this, it’s relatively inexpensive to do the simpler things like two-factor authentication and at the moment we’re going to pursue that versus, you know, what you’re talking about a little bit more heavy-handed approach,” Raimondo said.

Raimondo’s said Biden’s American Jobs Plan includes money to shore up cybersecurity infrastructure for companies but still urged for businesses to remain vigilant.

“It is clear that the private sector needs to be more vigilant, by the way, including small and medium-sized companies, and also President Biden has been clear that we are going to do more,” she said.

Raimondo’s comments come after Russia-based hacker groups were found to have infiltrated two U.S. companies that provide gasoline and beef to the nation.

“The only good news here, George, is that some very simple steps like two-factor authentication having proper backups, and backup technology, can be enormously helpful against a wide variety of these attacks,” Raimondo said.