Biden protects US networks from hackers from China and elsewhere

Biden protects US networks from hackers from China and elsewhere

On Thursday, President Joe Biden will sign an executive order that represents the latest attempt to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses. This action follows a series of damaging cyberattacks on federal networks that U.S. authorities have attributed to Russian and Chinese actors.

Origin of the arrangement

The policy is the result of a months-long review by U.S. authorities into significant hacking operations that took place during the Biden administration. These include Russia's alleged disruption of a satellite provider ahead of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as China's alleged infiltration of American telecommunications networks to gather intelligence on leading Republicans and Democrats.

Goals of the new cyber guidelines

The goal of this order is to put the new administration and the country on a path of continued success and make it harder and more costly for China, Russia, Iran, and ransomware criminals to break into the systems. Anne Neuberger, a senior White House official, told reporters that the order included measures to strengthen security.

Strengthening IT security

The order requires agencies to use stronger encryption to protect federal employees' conversations and messages from interception. This raises an important issue as previously a Chinese telecom hack targeted targets using insecure communication methods. In addition, the Interior Ministry's cyber agency will be given expanded powers to collect important data from other agencies' networks to investigate sophisticated hacking operations.

Identity fraud and use of AI

There are also calls to introduce new programs to reduce the trillion-dollar identity fraud that has affected Americans. Artificial intelligence is intended to help better protect the US energy sector against cyberattacks.

Frustration with security practices

The order highlights the Biden administration's long-standing frustration with lax security practices at software companies that work for the U.S. government. A U.S. government-backed review of Microsoft's security practices, for example, found that a series of avoidable errors allowed another Chinese hacking collective to break into the tech giant's network. Microsoft then announced reforms to its security policies.

Mandatory safety standards for contractors

In his first months in office, Biden issued another cybersecurity executive order that required contractors to meet minimum IT security standards to do business with the government. The new policy now requires contractors to provide the government and the public with evidence that their software meets safe development requirements. Federal authorities will publish the relevant evidence online.

Bipartisan approach to cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has traditionally been a bipartisan issue. But it remains unclear to what extent Donald Trump's new team, which takes office next week, will or will not exercise executive orders. Trump's incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz has called for more offensive cyber operations, while the incoming administration has not yet presented clear cyber defense strategies.