BIDEN SIGNS ORDER TO BEEF UP FEDERAL CYBER DEFENSES

President Joe Biden signed an executive order meant to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity defenses in response to a series of headline-grabbing hacking incidents that highlight how vulnerable the country’s public and private sectors are to high-tech spies and criminals operating from half a world away.

The order will require all federal agencies to use basic cybersecurity measures, like multifactor authentication, and require new security standards for software makers that contract with the federal government.

Officials are hoping to leverage the federal government’s massive spending power to make widely used software safer for the private sector as well.

“The federal government needs to make bold changes and significant investments in order to defend the vital institutions that underpin the American way of life,” Biden said in his executive order.

His actions come as the administration has been grappling with its response to a massive breach by Russia of federal agencies and ransomware attacks on private corporations.