Biden Administration Releases New Cybersecurity Strategy

The U.S. government plans to expand minimum cybersecurity requirements for critical sectors and to be faster and more aggressive in preventing cyberattacks before they can occur, including by using military, law enforcement and diplomatic tools, according to a Biden administration strategy document released Thursday.

The Democratic administration also intends to work with Congress on legislation that would impose legal liability on software makers whose products fail to meet basic cybersecurity safeguards, officials said.

The strategy largely codifies work that has already been underway during the last two years over a spate of high-profile ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure. An attack on a major fuel pipeline that caused panic at the pump and resulted in an East Coast fuel shortage as well as other attacks focused fresh attention on cybersecurity. But officials hope the new strategy lays the groundwork for countering an increasingly challenging cyber environment.

“This strategy will position the United States and its allies and partners to build that digital ecosystem together, making it more easily and inherently defensible, resilient, and aligned with our values,” the document states.