Adeyemo, in the highest-ranking visit of a Treasury official to the region under President Joe Biden's administration, will also discuss countering terrorist financing and proliferation as well as economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic in his visits to Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
It was unclear if he would raise Israeli spyware company NSO Group, which the U.S. Commerce Department added to its trade blacklist this month, saying they sold spyware to foreign governments that used the equipment to target government officials, journalists and others.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.