Last evening, President Obama announced in his televised State of the Union Address to Congress that he had signed an Executive Order earlier in the day to direct federal departments and agencies to adopt and implement new cybersecurity initiatives for the purpose of protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure. A legislative response from Congress is anticipated as early as today and we will provide subsequent updates. Please see our Cyber Alert for additional information on the Executive Order in the format of responses to frequently asked questions. Additionally, the White House issued a Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (which updates HSPD 7) to complement the Order. The press release on the Order and a fact sheet on the new PPD are linked below:
- White House Cybersecurity Executive Order – Press Release
- White House Cybersecurity Presidential Policy Directive – Fact Sheet