Editor's Note:
Rep. Jim Langevin, a Democrat from Rhode Island, is a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.
Representative Michael T. McCaul, a Republican from Texas, is the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
They co-founded and co-chair the Congress Cybersecurity bench.
The opinions expressed in this column are yours.
See more CNN opinion.
(CNN) -
Over the past few weeks, many Americans have become intimately familiar with the national security threat of
ransomware
.
The Colonial Pipeline hack affected a major pipeline supplying fuel to nearly half of the East Coast, sparking panic buying across the country, and the JBS hack sank the world's largest meat supplier, driving up prices for the meat.
This was a wake-up call for many Americans: If our gas stations and grocery stores are not safe from international cyber gangs, what else is vulnerable?
How much worse can these
ransomware
attacks get
?
The answer: much worse.
And it has life-threatening consequences.
What if the next target is a gas pipeline in the dead of winter?
Or do hackers manage to infiltrate our power grid or threaten our water supply?
Cyber experts estimate that the United States suffered 65,000
ransomware
attacks
last year.
FBI Director Chris Wray compared the recent wave of cyber-blackmailing to 9/11, and the Justice Department is now elevating the investigation of ransomware to the level of terrorism.
According to statements by US officials, the criminals who attacked the Colonial pipeline and JBS are likely operating from inside Russia (
Editor's note: The Kremlin has denied any responsibility)
.
Ultimately, President Vladimir Putin must be held accountable, as we know that nothing significant happens in Russia without the knowledge of the former KGB agent.
PHOTOS |
The life of Russian President Vladimir Putin in pictures
As such, President Joe Biden must take advantage of Wednesday's summit with Putin to meet this terrible national security challenge head-on by making
ransomware
high on his agenda.
Biden must make it clear to Putin that responsible states do not allow criminal gangs to operate freely from their territory.
International law is unequivocal: Nations have a responsibility to keep an eye on hackers who use their networks.
At best, Putin and his cronies continue to voluntarily turn a blind eye to these attacks.
At worst, these cyber extortion gangs operate with the explicit blessing of the Kremlin.
Either is unacceptable.
Biden's message should be simple and direct.
If cybercriminals continue to extort money from our schools, hospitals, food supply chains, and energy systems, we will find them.
And if countries continue to protect rogue hackers, they will pay the price.
These tricks cannot become our new normal.
If Putin does not take decisive action to stop these
ransomware
attacks
immediately, Biden must set out the concrete steps that the United States and our allies are willing to take in response, such as cutting off access to the international financial system for Russian companies facilitating kidnapping. of data.
After all, Russian cybercriminals rely on Russian financiers, Russian telecommunications companies, and Russian IT firms to carry out their destruction campaigns.
The United States must lead an effort in close coordination with our allies to update and enforce regulations in cyberspace, including a regulation that prohibits one's territory and infrastructure from being used for criminal activity.
ANALYSIS |
Ransomware Attacks Add Biden to Serious National Security Crisis
We are stronger when we work together with our allies.
To start changing the Russian calculus, Biden should assemble a coalition of like-minded states that seek to shape international behavior in cyberspace, deny benefits to cybercriminals and impose costs on the states that host them.
The G7 Carbis Bay Communiqué, which specifically called on Russia to "identify, disrupt, and hold those who carry out
ransomware
attacks within its borders
" is a good start, but we have to start fighting back to show Putin that we are serious.
We are working to empower the State Department to fulfill this vision by passing the Cyber Diplomacy Act to create a U.S. cyber ambassador to restore our leadership on the world stage.
Only with a broad and far-reaching international coalition can we end these devastating crimes against our homeland.
Biden has a historic opportunity, this week, to take a stand against the hackers who continue to haunt our nation.
We need to address the cyber blackmail crisis before it is too late.
Our national security depends on it.
Vladimir Putin