Biden Tells Putin Critical Infrastructure Sectors 'Off Limits' to Russian Hacking

President Joe Biden said in a press conference today that he and President Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed to bring together cybersecurity experts from the two nations to establish "specific understandings about what's off limits" from cyber activity and how the US and Russia each would "follow up" on cyberattacks that "originate in either of our countries."

Biden's comments came after a nearly four-hour meeting with Putin today in Geneva, which included a discussion about cybersecurity.

"Responsible countries need to take action against criminals who conduct ransomware activities on their territory," Biden explained.

He said he provided Putin with a list of some 16 critical infrastructure sectors, including energy and water, which should be "off limits" to hacking. Biden did not provide additional details but noted that the US has "significant cyber capability" that it will use if Russia violates "these basic norms."

Watch a recording of the full press conference here.