The White House expressed its disappointment in federal agencies for not following executive orders issued by President Joe Biden.
In 2021, a significant executive order for cybersecurity was issued by the White House, which focused on enhancing cybersecurity infrastructure compliance as a means to strengthen the United States’ cyber stance.
Unfortunately, multiple federal agencies and departments did not fully adhere to the outlined directives of the cybersecurity executive order, as indicated in the accompanying memo.
Failing to follow the executive order for cybersecurity
In a memo to the Cabinet secretaries, national security adviser Jake Sullivan made clear the failure of the federal agencies to comply with the executive order for cybersecurity as of June 2023. Senior officials were asked to increase the work to ensure full compliance by the end of the year.
The memo also noted that the failure to fully comply with the executive order exposed the US government to cyber attacks. The memo was not intended for agencies within the Pentagon.
According to a statement provided to CNN, a National Security Council spokesperson said, “This morning the National Security Advisor shared a memo with federal departments and agencies to ensure their cyber infrastructure is compliant with the President’s Executive Order to improve the nation’s cybersecurity.”
Memo highlights state-backed cyber attacks
The memo expressed dissatisfaction and mentioned the government’s lagging effort in its fight against state-backed cyber attacks. This threatened the security of not just the critical infrastructure but also the people of the nation.
The Executive order addressing cybersecurity was shared in May 2021 when President Joe Bidden witnessed several threats coming from other nations.
This included dealing with what was left from the Russian intrusion in 2020 leaving the federal networks compromised via ransomware attacks.
Recently in June, Chinese hackers gained access to the email accounts of the US ambassador to China and the secretary of commerce.
The US has been subjected to a barrage of cyber attacks which led to security breaches and compromise of critical and sensitive data. To curb this, the executive order by the Biden government asked federal agencies and departments to rise to the challenge and increase security.
The memo addressed the need to increase cybersecurity in the hands of federal agencies which are known to have a closer view of incoming threats.
Moreover, they were asked to furnish a detailed plan for how they will be following the executive order for cybersecurity by the end of September.
Prioritizing National Security: White House’s Focus on US Cybersecurity
Another memorandum published in January 19, 2022, addressed the Department of Defense, and Intelligence Community Systems. The Memorandum for National Security Systems (NSS) within Executive Order 14028 was for improving the nation’s cybersecurity.
It set reasonable deadlines for various functions including publishing guidance regarding minimum security standards for cloud migration, updating existing agency plans for cloud technology, and adopting the Zero Trust Architecture among others.
As part of the daily journal of the United States government, the Federal Register published the executive order that reiterated the cybersecurity perspective and approach in the face of the persistent and increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber campaigns threatening the public sector.
Addressing the need for modernization of cybersecurity in the federal government, the memorandum read, “To keep pace with today’s dynamic and increasingly sophisticated cyber threat environment, the Federal Government must take decisive steps to modernize its approach to cybersecurity, including by increasing the Federal Government’s visibility into threats, while protecting privacy and civil liberties.”
Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.
