Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On October 11, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration released an informational statement about the current Administrations’ progress in strengthening America’s national cybersecurity. The statement provides detail into several new initiatives and sets goals for America’s future in cybersecurity:

The following are some example of the Administration’s current or planned actions in cybersecurity:  

• Improving cybersecurity practices of critical infrastructure, including transportation, banking, water and healthcare;
• Creating new infrastructure, such as expanding the network of electric-vehicle charging stations and bringing high-speed Internet to underserved parts of the country, and ensuring that new infrastructure is safe and secure;
• Providing grants to state, local and territorial governments dedicated to address cybersecurity and risks to government information systems and infrastructure;
• Strengthening the Federal Government’s cybersecurity program, including implementing new cybersecurity practices (i.e., multi-factor authentication), allocating resources to cybersecurity goals and setting forth the Federal Zero Trust Strategy;
• Establishing the International Counter-Ransomware Initiative to address the recent increase in ransomware and prevent criminal activity;
• Implementing internationally accepted cyber norms, creating global alliances to offer support in response to cyber incidents and strengthening America’s security against international malicious actors;
• Designing new initiatives that would help Americans recognize whether their devices are secure and meet the highest cybersecurity standards to protect against hacking and other vulnerabilities;
• Promoting new efforts to educate the public on ongoing cybersecurity issues (e.g., the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit) and provide opportunities to individuals to join the cyber workforce (i.e., 120-Day Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint);
• Developing quantum-resistant encryptions to protect our data from being compromised and theft, including protections against new advancing technologies (i.e., future quantum computer attacks); and
• Investing research and development into quantum technology.