The problem with Biden’s warning to Putin on future cyberattacks on American entities

Did President Joe Biden just issue a red line to Russian leader Vladimir Putin? When Biden described the warning he presented to Putin on cyberattacks, it certainly sounded like one. This is both surprising and potentially problematic, but could also spur much-needed progress in the development of norms and doctrine in cyberspace.

After Wednesday’s summit, in response to a question about the penalties that such an attack would incur, Biden stated: “I pointed out to him that we have significant cyber capability. And he knows it. He doesn’t know exactly what it is, but it’s significant. And if, in fact, they violate these basic norms, we will respond with cyber. He knows.”