Executive order mandates new cybersecurity rules.
In the last few days of his Presidency, Joe Biden has moved to bolster U.S. cybersecurity with a last-minute executive order.
Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, the executive order insists on minimum cybersecurity standards for government IT contractors and broadens sanctions against foreign cyber adversaries.
It also mandates new cryptographic standards for federal agencies, orders the development of artificial intelligence-based tools for determining government network flaws, and requires government Internet of Things vendors' Cyber Trust Mark compliance by January 2027, as well as increasing resources to combat cyber talent challenges.
Cory Michal, CSO at AppOmni said one of the most interesting and noteworthy points in the executive order is the mandate for agencies to provide real-time telemetry data to CISA while maintaining control over their networks.
“This represents a significant step toward centralised threat hunting and cross-agency collaboration,” Michal said.
“However, it also highlights a potential area of tension, as agencies may resist sharing telemetry data or granting real-time access to their endpoint detection and response solutions due to concerns about operational disruption, the handling of sensitive data, or perceived loss of autonomy. This balance between centralised oversight and agency independence will likely be a critical factor in the success of the EO’s implementation.”
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
