In light of current global events, chiefly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden-Harris administration has released an official statement warning of Russian intent to engage in "malicious cyber activity against the United States in response to the unprecedented economic sanctions we have imposed". The statement comes in the form of a fact sheet that provides practical suggestions and warnings for how private organizations can help bolster the nations security posture. You can read the full statement here:
FACT SHEET: Act Now to Protect Against Potential Cyberattacks
In May of 2021 President Biden signed an executive order focused on improving the nation's cybersecurity. In the year since, the Biden-Harris administration has focused on "modernizing and improving the security of widely-used technology". Additionally, the administration continues to increase the security of critical infrastructure including electricity, pipeline, and water sectors. However, as the most recent statement concludes the "reality is that much of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector". This means that to improve the nation's cybersecurity and protect against the threat of foreign, state sponsored cyber activity the private sector will also need to implement effective controls to protect their systems. The Biden-Harris administration requests companies to implement the following steps with the utmost urgency:
These steps are practical ones that any organization can implement to considerably increase the security of their organizations network. However, the administration also outlines steps organizations should take to strengthen America's cybersecurity over the long term:
These are the biggest takeaways from the most recent White House statement on the nation's cybersecurity.
It is important that all private organizations stay vigilant in maintaining a healthy security posture to alleviate the potential impacts of global events on our own nation.
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