The holding of the meeting illustrates the importance of joint action by the US government and the corporate sector, but no further details were provided about the company executives who would attend the meeting.
Members of President Biden’s national security team and other administration officials will discuss with company executives, the spokesperson said,
How we can work together to improve your cybersecurity.
The discussion comes after a series of costly extortion virus attacks in the United States in recent months, to which the Biden administration has responded with several measures to enhance protection of critical infrastructure.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday issued instructions to large US companies that operate pipelines containing new requirements to enhance cybersecurity.
The ministerial decree was issued after viral racketeering attacks in recent months disrupted oil and gas supplies off the east coast of the United States in a way that was also notable for residential consumption.
In addition to schools and medical facilities, on May 7, the computer system of Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest US fuel companies in Georgia, was hacked by hackers believed to be linked to Russia.
The large company supplies about 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products on its roughly 9,000-kilometre network of pipelines, which feeds about half of the US East Coast. In the aftermath of the cyber attack in May, long queues developed at gas stations in many eastern coastal states, and shortages of natural gas were also not uncommon.
The spokesperson explained that in a cybersecurity pilot project launched in April focused on improving industrial control and management, more than 145 companies out of 255 major energy providers have acquired cybersecurity monitoring technology, and that number continues to grow.
Cover image source: Getty Images
