Biden’s new executive order aims to shore up US cyber defenses

WASHINGTON (news agencies) — President Joe Biden issued an executive order Thursday aimed at strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity and making it easier to go after foreign adversaries or hacking groups that try to compromise U.S. internet and telecommunication systems.

The order calls for the development of minimum cybersecurity standards for government technology contractors and requires that contractors submit evidence that they’re complying.

It is also aimed at making it easier for U.S. authorities to penalize foreign governments that target the U.S. with cyberattacks, in the wake of recent hacking incidents linked to China, Iran, Russia and North Korea. Among other changes, the order allows sanctions to be imposed on foreign hackers who target hospitals or other organizations with ransomware.

The order requires federal agencies to improve cybersecurity to protect against the threat posed by powerful quantum computers, which experts say could be used to easily break into many systems. That could have direct national security implications if a foreign adversary builds a computer sophisticated enough to break American codes.

The order comes just days before Biden, a Democrat, leaves office. Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s administration could rescind the policy in favor of its own proposals. But deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said the order’s twin goals — strengthening cybersecurity and punishing those responsible for cyberattacks — should win bipartisan support.

The order is intended to show that “America means business when it comes to protecting our businesses and our citizens,” Neuberger said while briefing reporters on the new policies.

While the order sets out critical cybersecurity standards that should better protect businesses, governments and consumers, some of the reporting requirements could create compliance challenges for tech companies, according to Cory Michal, chief security officer at AppOmni, a software security company based in San Mateo, California.

Michal said the rapid development of cloud computing and smart devices has created vulnerabilities that touch almost all areas of people’s lives.