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The White House has announced it is taking concrete measures to effectively protect core sectors as well as critical infrastructure against cyberthreats.
The actions, delineated in an order from President Joe Biden, are an appreciation of the cybersecurity flaws of important industries.
According to a senior administration official, they also are meant to highlight the “patchwork of sector-specific statutes” that have been adopted ad hoc over time and that leave the government without an unvarying or satisfactory cybersecurity threshold.
The collaboration was carried out as a pilot program in April with power utilities, and another plan is ongoing for natural gas pipelines. Supplementary unions with other sectors will be constituted this year, the US said.
The move comes as federal officials have been endorsing greater cybersecurity resiliency among private businesses, including announcing new requirements and defenses for pipeline proprietors and operators last week.
The official said that the collaboration is voluntary, though the administration has not ruled out the likelihood of obligatory requirements in the future. But short of legislation, the official said, “there isn’t a comprehensive way to require deployment of security technologies and practices that address, really, the threat environment that we face.”
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, lauded the Biden administration’s action as vital and “an important step.” But, he added, “I believe Congress must look beyond voluntary standards to strengthen our defenses.”
Furthermore, the new order will direct the departments of Homeland Security and Commerce to team up with other agencies on developing cybersecurity performance observation for grave infrastructure.
