Energy secretary says she'd support law banning ransomware payments

published 6 June 2021

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday that she believes adversaries of the United States have the capability to shut down the power grid and thinks "there are very malign actors who are trying even as we speak."

That explains why she also said she would support a law banning companies from making ransomware payments if they become victims of a cyberattack, as Colonial Pipeline did last month, though she acknowledged she isn't sure President Biden and Congress have reached that point.

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Todd noted that proponents of such a law believe if companies stopped paying ransoms, then the attacks would also halt. However, Warner echoed Colonial Pipeline's concerns that the risk of not paying the ransom may outweigh the financial hit, especially for companies that play a crucial role in the country's infrastructure. So, he appeared to settle on the middle ground for now, highlighting the need for companies to be more transparent about whether they've been attacked and made a ransom payment.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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