Accessibility links

Breaking News

White House Names Russia, China, Iran, North Korea In Cyberattack Guidelines


The White House on July 26 issued new guidelines on how government agencies should respond to major cyberattacks.

The announcement comes amid suspicion in the U.S. government that hackers working for Russia may have engineered the leak of e-mails stolen from the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to influence the U.S. presidential election on November 8.

White House counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco named Russia and China as cyber adversaries that have become more assertive.

She said Iran and North Korea also are capable and willing to carry out destructive attacks.

The guidelines include a five-point scale to grade the severity of a cyberattack.

An attack would be designated as an emergency, or level 5, if it posed an imminent threat to widescale critical infrastructure, the stability of the government, or lives of Americans.

The guidelines also offer the first public guidance on roles of federal agencies to investigate and respond to cybersecurity breaches in government and the private sector.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG