WASHINGTON : U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo will travel to the Middle East on Friday, a Treasury spokesperson told Reuters, where he will seek to build partnerships on ransomware and cybersecurity as hackers wreak havoc among some of America's more vital industries.
In Israel, Adeyemo will raise how to focus technology to counter ransomware and other cyber-related threats, the spokesperson said. Biden has made the government's cybersecurity response a top priority following a series of attacks this year that threatened to destabilize U.S. energy and food supplies.
This year, gangs have hit numerous U.S. companies in large scale hacks. One such attack on pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline led to temporary fuel supply shortages on the U.S. East Coast. Hackers also targeted an Iowa-based agricultural company, sparking fears of disruptions to grain harvesting in the Midwest.