The Biden administration is making a final push to shore up U.S. cyber defenses against growing threats from China and Russia, with plans to address vulnerabilities ranging from space to consumer electronics just days before leaving office. issued a comprehensive cybersecurity executive order aimed at
The sweeping directive is likely the administration’s last major policy push before handing over the keys to President Donald Trump. President Donald Trump will head to the White House next week to inherit a new world of cyberattacks that have cost the nation billions of dollars and caused damage. Government offices.
“The goal is to make hacking by China, Russia, Iran, and ransomware criminals more expensive and difficult, and to show that the United States is serious about protecting our companies and people,” a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday. He told the group.
The order comes in the wake of devastating China-linked cyberattacks, including a recent breach of the U.S. Treasury and communications systems that reportedly compromised the communications of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. The order has been issued.
Among its most striking provisions: the federal mandate to implement end-to-end encryption for email and video communications, along with new requirements for artificial intelligence-powered cyber defense systems and quantum computing safeguards. There are obligations to government agencies.
At the heart of the order is an expansion of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) authority to search for threats across federal networks. The nation’s top cyber agency, created by President Trump in 2018, will gain new powers to review security efforts from government contractors and coordinate with federal technology officials.
The order requires that by 2027, federal agencies can only purchase internet-connected devices that bear the “Cybertrust Mark,” an effective use of government procurement authority. This will put pressure on manufacturers to improve security standards for products such as baby monitors and home security systems.
The directive also ventures into uncharted territory, calling for stronger cybersecurity measures for space systems after Russia targeted Ukrainian satellite communications during its invasion.
The timing of the order raised questions about its longevity. Vice National Security Adviser Ann Neuberger, who has spearheaded the order for the past several months, is scheduled to resign on January 17, and the incoming Trump administration’s cyber team has not yet been formally named. Politico reports that Trump 1.0 cybersecurity alumnus Sean Plankey is the frontrunner to lead the agency.
Trump’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment on whether the incoming administration would comply with the executive order’s directives, which set 53 deadlines ranging from 30 days to three years for various government agencies.
For now, administration officials remain optimistic about the order’s staying power, calling it an emergency response to an escalating threat.
“Making our national infrastructure more defensible and making it easier to sanction and counter cyber attackers are both fairly bipartisan goals,” the official said.
