Joe Biden asks Vladimir Putin to act against cyberattacks carried out from Russia

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday and asked him to take action against groups carrying out cyberattacks of ransomware from Russia, the White House announced.

"He spoke with President Putin about current ransomware (data hijacking) attacks by Russian- based criminals that have impacted the United States and other countries," according to a White House statement.

Biden also underscored the need for Russia to stop those groups and said it is committed to comprehensively addressing the threat posed by data hijacking.

"President Biden reiterated that the United States will take all necessary actions to defend its people and its key infrastructure in the face of this ongoing challenge," the White House said.

Cases and more cases

Data hijacking in the United States and other countries increased sharply last year and included major actions such as the one that brought a large pipeline in the eastern United States to a standstill.

Other targets of ransomware attacks were hospitals, city police departments, and private companies.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington "has no additional or new information to suggest that the Russian government led these attacks," but added that Moscow "has a responsibility to take action."