A Comprehensive Guide To The Executive Order Signed By President Biden

Technology is evolving every single day. People and businesses are embracing advanced tech tools to make their lives more convenient and ensure business prosperity. Today’s technology makes it so much easier to bring smiles to your customers’ faces.

According to the statistics, 40% of the world’s population has access to the internet while the 90% of the global data was transmitted during the past two years only.

Tech revolution supports the development of the emerging economies. For instance, the worldwide adoption of online banking, including the developing countries has a potential to create 95 million new jobs and flatten the unemployment rate more than ever.

In short, we can say that technology is playing a vital role in boosting the revenue of businesses around the world as well as increasing the overall work efficiency of business setups.

However, the rise of malicious activities and cybersecurity incidents over the past few years have confirmed a dire need to save businesses from massive data breaches, financial losses, and reputation damage.

Unfortunately, with the evolution of security technology, malicious activities are becoming more sophisticated too. Thus, private and public sector organizations are still vulnerable to data breaches. However, with the right helpdesk, businesses can build a security wall that is stronger than ever before.

Security vulnerabilities faced by U.S. consumers and organizations

For the last few weeks, U.S. consumers and organizations, have been witnessing an overwhelming amount of data breaches and cyber attacks. These attacks enabled unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information of important industries, such as the Colonial Pipeline, which was a key fuel source for the east coast region. This setup was attacked by ransomware in which American citizens were seriously affected. Almost every U.S. citizen experienced unauthorized disclosure of personal information. Government authorities also faced a variety of problems related to the exposure of private information of American citizens and organizations. All of this combined caused serious turbulence in national security and day-to-day life.

After constant requests from the public, the government responded, and on May 12th 2021, President Biden signed. The goal of this order is to improve the country's cybersecurity situation. This order mainly focuses on enhancing the oversight of regulations and laws that are related to the way American companies establish and maintain their cybersecurity.

The above graph reveals that Joe Biden is serious in implementing data security rules and regulations and has extensively worked on issuance of Executive Orders.

Now we are going to cover some comprehensive details and major sections of Biden's Cybersecurity Executive Order.

Main Elements Of President Biden's Cybersecurity Executive Order

In the upcoming lines we will discuss the key sections of the cybersecurity Executive Order that president Biden signed and confirmed for the security of the American public.

Policy

The EO gives detailed instructions to the Federal Government that allows them to look into the activities of hackers or cyber criminals. It does this by protecting against and responding to authoritative actions that are the real reason behind these security vulnerabilities.

In other words the Federal Government is bound to use their resources to find the criminals that are targeting private and public sector organizations and stealing the data of U.S. citizens. Moreover, Federal Government contractors and Federal agencies must follow every cybersecurity requirement to secure and protect their systems and ensure the overall privacy of the people.

A trusted source says that: President Biden’s administration requires the Federal Government to lead by example and meet (or exceed) cybersecurity requirements and standards.

This section of the Executive Order re-addresses the Federal Government’s role, as it is the core responsibility of the government to maintain and evaluate the system’s daily functions and verify that everything is working accordingly.

Organizations should also collaborate with the Federal Government to perform network monitoring. For this purpose, organizations should share any information that is related to data breaches and cyber attacks.

Previously, privacy laws did not allow the sharing of information with the Federal Government. But now, Biden's Executive Order has removed all limitations and encourages the sharing of information and reporting to the government. In this way, the federal agency systems can directly get involved in the improvement of the overall cybersecurity landscape of the nation.

Modernized Cybersecurity Structures For The Federal Government

In the third section of the Executive Order, the Federal Government strongly advises organizations to modernize their cybersecurity approach and use adequate technology to protect civil and privacy liberties.

In other words, this section directly requires the Federal Government to make use of all cloud-based technologies, advanced setups, and modernized systems to collect and gather data about these attacks.

It also allows federal authorities to maintain a zero trust architecture. Remember that this section also covers the use of encryption as well as multi-factor authentication.

Here it is important to understand that multi-factor authentication is the authentication method in which the computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism.

Improved Security In Supply Chain Software

Biden's administration has also demanded the use of critical software systems to improve the overall security. In other words, agencies and organizations should also focus on the development of their own security tools. Moreover, they should also take advantage of current measures by creating practical guidelines and policies for secure development and improvement of the security structure.

Creation Of A Cyber Safety Review Board

One of the most important requirements from Biden's Executive Order is the one that notes that the Attorney General and Homeland Security should establish a Cyber Safety Review Board. This board will work to keep our Nation safer and focus on necessary enhancements related to cyber security issue responses.

Moreover, this board will be particularly involved in the assessment and review of cyber incidents. The Cyber Safety Review Board team will consist of various private sectors of the government, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense, and the Department ofOf Justice.

A Standardized Federal Government Cybersecurity Response Playbook

It is a common observation that different agencies and organizations take different precautionary measures to protect themselves against incidents and vulnerabilities. However, Biden's Executive Order requires organizations to focus on their standardized response approach. So, instead of using multiple procedures to address and recover from such issues, they should focus on creating a centralized tracking process.

These standards were set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This government body focuses on analyzing the overall cybersecurity status of the agencies and devising the right plans to respond to attacks and threats. In simple words, the cybersecurity response playbook will contain the rules and regulations that help businesses adopt multiple procedures to recover from several incidents.

Improved Uncovering Of Cybersecurity Incidents And Vulnerabilities Within Federal Government Networks

The Federal Government should also collaborate to detect malicious activities and inconsistencies by devising an Endpoint Detection and Response System (EDR). In this way, the Federal Government can play its part in reducing their exposure to adversaries.

Enhanced Investigative And Remediation Capabilities

This section has notably asserted the value of investigation and remediation of cybersecurity attacks. For this purpose, it has allowed IT service providers and agencies to retain relevant information. As a result, remediating authorities will be able to create better solutions, as they will have all the relevant data needed for researching and investigation.

This is the last and final section in which the Secretary of Defense plays a major role, as they are responsible for covering all requirements and standards highlighted in the Executive Order.

The Importance Of The Cybersecurity Executive Order By President Joe Biden

The U.S. population has been facing a lot of security issues, especially ones related to cyber attacks and threats. The Federal Government recognized this problem and decided to correct this increasingly audacious problem. Although some authorities are quite confused about its importance, time will prove its usefulness, especially when the Federal Government will play its part in maintaining the overall cybersecurity landscape.

The Order states that "As the nation's largest employer, the federal government must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, where all employees are treated with dignity and respect".

It expects that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget execute the law in partnership with the White House and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The executive order came into effect just nine days after Biden introduced a law that made June 19, a celebration of the end of slavery, a federal holiday.

This law will prove particularly helpful for rural and elderly Americans who need security assistance.