The US State Department is set to establish a cyber bureau after the country experienced a surge of cyber attacks on its critical infrastructure.
The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy will be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador and will focus on three key areas: cyberspace security, international digital policy, and digital freedom.
The department hopes this will integrate the core security, economic, and values components of its cyber agenda. It also revealed its plans to establish a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology to lead the immediate technology diplomacy agenda with its allies and partners.
“The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, that will include three sub-units focused on international cyberspace security – that’s cyber policy and negotiations, cyber deterrence, cyber operations, and capacity building – international digital policy – and so that includes, for example, engagement with the ITU, standard-setting bodies, promotion of trusted telecom systems, digital technology tracks and multilateral agenda – and digital freedom,” said Ned Price, State Department spokesperson.
The move comes as the US recovers from a number of high-profile cyber attacks, like the Colonial Pipeline attack in May which led to the shutdown of the US fuel pipeline. The company manages around 45% of the US east coast’s fuel supplies and was forced to suspend 5,500 miles of pipeline between Texas and New York after falling victim to ransomware from the DarkSide group.
RELATED RESOURCE
HP Wolf Security: Threat insights report
Equipping security teams with the knowledge to combat emerging threats
The following month, JBS Foods paid an $11 million ransom to hackers who compromised its IT systems. The company, the largest processor of meat in the world and produces close to a quarter of the US’s beef, fell victim to an attack at the end of May. The company confirmed it made the $11 million ransom payment in Bitcoin.
As part of its response to the growing threat, the US Treasury has also imposed sanctions on virtual currency exchange Suex for its alleged role in facilitating transactions for ransomware actors. The Treasury said in September that Suex facilitated transactions involving illicit proceeds from at least eight ransomware variants, underlining that over 40% of its transaction history is associated with illicit actors.
-
LaunchDarkly to "double down" on observability with Highlight acquisitionNews Highlight's observability tools will be integrated into LaunchDarkly's Guarded Releases software deployment service
-
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE reviewReviews The Tab S10 FE retains the feel and core capabilities of Samsung's high-end S10 tablets, but compromises on the display and the performance
-
Ransomware attacks are rising — but quiet payouts could mean there's more than actually reportedNews Ransomware attacks continue to climb, but they may be even higher than official figures show as companies choose to quietly pay to make such incidents go away.
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen – and security experts say it won't be the lastNews Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
-
‘Phishing kits are a force multiplier': Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25 – and experts warn it’s lowering the barrier of entry for amateur hackersNews Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
Healthcare systems are rife with exploits — and ransomware gangs have noticedNews Nearly nine-in-ten healthcare organizations have medical devices that are vulnerable to exploits, and ransomware groups are taking notice.
-
Alleged LockBit developer extradited to the USNews A Russian-Israeli man has been extradited to the US amid accusations of being a key LockBit ransomware developer.
-
February was the worst month on record for ransomware attacks – and one threat group had a field day
News February 2025 was the worst month on record for the number of ransomware attacks, according to new research from Bitdefender.
-
CISA issues warning over Medusa ransomware after 300 victims from critical sectors impactedNews The Medusa ransomware as a Service operation compromised twice as many organizations at the start of 2025 compared to 2024
-
Warning issued over prolific 'Ghost' ransomware groupNews The Ghost ransomware group is known to act fast and exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing appliances
