Cyber attacks could cause 'real shooting war' - Biden

Biden made the remark during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Virginia.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines introduced Biden before his remarks.

Biden's remarks were directed primarily at Russia, and he referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with apparent sarcasm, as "my very close friend",

Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the agenda for the Biden administration after a series of high-profile attacks on entities such as network management company SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline company, meat processing company JBS and software firm Kaseya hurt the U.S. far beyond just the companies hacked. Some of the attacks affected fuel and food supplies in parts of the United States.