White House denies reports of 'cyber attack menu' against Russia

A news report claims President Biden was presented with options to target Russia's national infrastructure - a claim the White House has denied

The White House has denied a recent report that advisors presented President Biden with options to launch massive cyber attacks against Russia, to disrupt the country's ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine.

"This report on cyber options being presented to @POTUS is off base and does not reflect what is actually being discussed in any shape or form," White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote in a tweet on Thursday.

Psaki's comment came after NBC News reported advisors had presented Biden with a menu of options for cyber assaults on Russia, including shutting off electric power across the country, disrupting internet connectivity, and tampering with railroad switches.

The publication cited four sources with knowledge of the matter, including two US intelligence officials, one Western intelligence official and a person briefed on the matter.

The sources told NBC that Biden was yet to take a final decision on the issue, although military experts recommended the use of American cyber weapons on a scale never before considered.

The measures would be used to disrupt rather than destroy infrastructure, and would therefore would not constitute an act of war against Russia.

"Our response will be harsh and measured, but not so severe as to encourage Putin to take more drastic steps," one official said.

Another source said there is a split within the US government, with one camp advocating for a forceful cyber response and another fearful of retaliation from Russia.

"Anything we can do to them, they can do to us," one official said.

In remarks at the White House on Thursday, Biden warned Russia against launching cyberattacks on US companies and infrastructure.

"Let me also repeat the warning I made last week -- if Russia pursues cyberattacks against our companies, our critical infrastructure, we are prepared to respond. For months, we've been working closely with the private sector to harden our cyber defences, sharpen our ability to respond to Russia's cyberattacks as well," he said.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, several government websites went down as hacking groups around the world began to punish Russia.