Cybersecurity Executive Order
On May 12, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) aiming to improve the federal government’s efforts to “identify, deter, protect against, detect and respond” to cybersecurity incidents.
Released five days after the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, it is intended as a comprehensive response to anongoing trend of increased threats.
The EO is intended to help the government modernize and mitigate the risk of cyber incidents. It also aims to encourage private-sector-owned domestic critical infrastructure to partner with and follow the federal government’s lead to take ambitious measures to augment and aligncybersecurity investments with the goal of minimizing future incidents.
The EO required quick action, with 30-day, 90-day and 365-day deadlines across seven key objectives.