The U.S. opens a debate on cyber rescue payments after pipeline traffic The White House has opened a debate on the merits of companies that pay ransoms for cyber attackers after a group of hackers closed a U.S. oil pipeline over the weekend, highlighting the seriousness of the critical infrastructure threat. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has long held against these payments, claiming that they will encourage more ransomware attacks, which means hackers control a target’s computer or data until they meet their financial demands. Anne Neuberger, a U.S. national security adviser on cybersecurity and new technologies, said Monday that the Biden administration was “definitely” examining “a general approach to ransomware actors and rescues.”