– Unacceptable silence and inaction – VG

While Acting President Joe Biden has promised to make cybersecurity a top priority, Acting President Donald Trump has so far been silent on the matter.

– Unacceptable silence and inaction from the White House, writes Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney on Twitter about Thursday’s attack.

The senator, who also previously identified himself as a critic of Trump, writes that he believes the attack shows that the vulnerability of the United States is worrisome and that the defense against cyber attacks is too weak.

– It is as if the Russian bombers had flown several times undetected throughout our country, he writes.

US authorities confirmed on Monday one of the most sophisticated cyber attacks against the United States in several years and, according to the AP, suspect Russia is behind it.

Since March, hackers have been using software from the Solarwinds company, which they hacked, to break into various US ministries and companies, undetected, writes NTB.

At least 40 organizations, ministries and companies are said to have downloaded malicious software from here, according to Microsoft, which is helping US authorities map the attack.

“This cyber attack is basically an attack against the United States, the government and other critical institutions, including security companies,” said Brad Smith, director of Microsoft in a blog post.

Security authorities sound the alarm

On Thursday, the US agency Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) presented a preliminary assessment of the situation.

They describe the attack as sophisticated and believe it poses a serious threat to the United States.

CISA claims that the massive data breach has affected government ministries and agencies in the United States, but also private companies and critical infrastructure, writes the AP news agency.

The agency reports to the US Department of Security, and its former CEO Christopher Krebs was fired by Donald Trump in November.

The US Department of Energy has stated that they are among those affected. It was previously known that the Ministry of Finance and Trade has also been affected, writes NTB.

Former Security Advisor: – Cannot be tolerated

The Trump administration has been criticized for removing a position on cybersecurity in the White House and for softening Russia’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

The president of the United States has not commented publicly on the hacking, but a White House official told CNN that the president has been briefed on the situation.

“President Trump must put the disappointments of the election behind him and rule for the remainder of his presidency,” wrote Thomas P. Bossert in a New York Times column.

He was a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, but resigned after just over a year in office.

– This moment requires unity, goals and discipline. Such a blatant and extensive attack cannot be tolerated by any nation, he continues, writing that the attack occurred at the “worst possible time” for the United States, which is in the midst of a transition period between two presidents in addition to the corona pandemic.

Marco Rubio, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, better understands the president’s silence, writes CNN.

– Information is still being obtained, and I advise everyone to be careful to draw conclusions or make statements before the facts come to the table, he says.