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According to a top US official, President Biden has ordered US intelligence agencies to proactively collaborate with private companies that manage crucial American infrastructure to protect against threats from foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, and state-sponsored hackers.
The directive is part of a national security memorandum titled “Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience,” issued last Tuesday. This memorandum updates protocols established in 2013, introducing enhanced security measures for 16 critical infrastructure sectors to protect against both natural and man-made threats. Caitlin Durkovich, Biden’s deputy Homeland Security Advisor, said, “The policy is particularly relevant today, given continued disruptive ransomware attacks, cyber-attacks on US water systems by our adversaries.”
In response to the increasing threats, the Biden administration has instructed intelligence agencies to focus on declassifying information that can be safely shared with the private sector to bolster security measures. Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, highlighted this approach: “I know that the IC [intelligence community] is looking to make sure that if the information can be safely declassified, then it is.”
Easterly also pointed out the proactive measures taken before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, where intelligence was declassified to inform critical infrastructure sectors about potential retaliatory attacks by Russia. She noted the growing urgency of these efforts, especially with the emerging serious threats from the People’s Republic of China, mentioning an operation named Volt Typhoon that signifies the pre-positioning of Chinese cyber actors in US systems. In addition to Easterly, FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned about similar threats posed by Chinese cyber actors, warning that they seek to ensue chaos in the United States at a time of their choosing.
This new effort will be headed by the Department of Homeland Security, which will have the authority to coordinate between federal agencies and private sector companies deemed to have a “need to know” regarding certain threats.
