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The White House said it was launching a "comprehensive effort to
protect U.S. infrastructure against all threats and hazards,
current and future."
The directive empowers the Homeland Security Department to lead
the government-wide effort to secure U.S. critical
infrastructure and to submit regular National Risk Management
plans summarizing U.S. government efforts.
Concerns have been rising about the security of U.S. critical
infrastructure like utilities, power plants, aviation, rail,
mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water and sewage
organizations.
"The policy is particularly relevant today, given continued
disruptive ransomware attacks, cyber-attacks on U.S. water
systems by our adversaries," said Jen Easterly, director of the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
In February, U.S. agencies said an advanced group of Chinese
hackers taking aim at U.S. critical infrastructure have been
active for as long as half a decade.
The U.S. National Security Agency, CISA, the FBI, and the
Transportation Security Administration said that the group known
as "Volt Typhoon" had quietly burrowed into the networks of
aviation, rail, mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water
and sewage organizations.
The widespread nature of the hacks has led to a series of
meetings between the White House and private technology
industry, including several telecommunications and cloud
commuting companies, in which the U.S. government asked for
assistance in tracking the activity.
Biden's memorandum directs the U.S. Intelligence Community "to
collect, produce and share intelligence and information with
federal departments and agencies, state and local partners, and
the owners and operators of critical infrastructure."
The White House said "nation-state actors will continue to
target American critical infrastructure – and tolerate or enable
malicious activity conducted by non-state actors. In the event
of crisis or conflict, America's adversaries may attempt to
compromise our critical infrastructure."
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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