Tech Titans Join US Cyber Team to Fight Ransomware

An employee works at a computer in Angers, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
An employee works at a computer in Angers, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
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Tech Titans Join US Cyber Team to Fight Ransomware

An employee works at a computer in Angers, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
An employee works at a computer in Angers, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

US cybersecurity officials on Thursday said Amazon, Google and Microsoft have enlisted to help them fight ransomware and defend cloud computing systems from hackers.

The tech giants are among firms signed on to be part of a Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative intended to combine government and private skills and resources to fight hackers, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

"With these extraordinarily capable partners, our initial focus will be on efforts to combat ransomware and developing a planning framework to coordinate incidents affecting cloud service providers," said CISA director Jen Easterly.

US President Joe Biden last week expressed concern about the recent increase in cyberattacks, including via ransomware, which typically see hackers encrypting victims' data and then demanding money for restored access, according to AFP.

"If we end up in a war, a real shooting war, with a major power, it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach," Biden said.

Easterly introduced the new collaborative at a Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas, where professionals from across the industry met to share research and innovations.

"Damages from cybercrime is costing the world trillions; and ransomware has become a scourge," Easterly said in a keynote presentation at the event.

"I want to focus on strengthening the government's collaboration with the private sector -- industry, academia, researchers, hackers."

The new center will be involved in coordinating national cyber defense and sharing insights into threats, as well as take part in joint exercises, according to CISA.

Easterly urged more computer security firms to join the collaborative effort.

The list of those who have already signed on includes Amazon Web Services, AT&T, Crowdstrike, FireEye, Google and Microsoft.



China’s Xi Lauds AI Progress, Meets BRICs Bank on Shanghai Visit 

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for a two-day state visit, at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam, April 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for a two-day state visit, at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam, April 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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China’s Xi Lauds AI Progress, Meets BRICs Bank on Shanghai Visit 

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for a two-day state visit, at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam, April 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for a two-day state visit, at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam, April 14, 2025. (Reuters)

China's President Xi Jinping urged Shanghai to accelerate efforts to turn itself into a technological and innovation hub with global influence as he made his first visit to the city since November 2023, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Xi said that Shanghai, China's main international financial hub, should strive to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) development and governance, the report added.

The Shanghai visit comes at a time when the trade war with the United States has raised the stakes for global economic growth, and as China pushes forward with AI development in the wake of DeepSeek.

Xi urged the city to expand its exploration of AI models and said more supportive policies for the technology should be rolled out, as he visited an incubation lab for AI startups and tried on a set of smart glasses, the report said.

The Chinese president also visited the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, a multilateral bank of BRICS member nations, and met its president, former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Xinhua said.