President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at improving US cybersecurity defenses, an action that follows a string of cyberattacks on the federal …
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at improving US cybersecurity defenses, an action that follows a string of cyberattacks on the federal government and private companies. The action comes amid a crippling ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of a major US petroleum pipeline last week, leading to concern of widespread gas shortages along the East Coast. The attack, blamed on a hacker group known as the Darkside, reignited concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. The executive order doesn’t specifically mention the affected oil-and-gas infrastructure, but the White House pointed to the attack as an example of the need to do more to protect critical infrastructure. « The Colonial Pipeline incident is a reminder that federal action alone is not enough, » the White House said in a statement calling on private companies to « follow the federal government’s lead and take ambitious measures to augment and align cybersecurity investments with the goal of minimizing future incidents. » The 34-page executive order outlines a number of steps aimed at shoring up the nation’s cybersecurity.
