White House Issues New Cyber Directives to Defend US Ports

Facts

• Pres. Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a new executive order to strengthen cybersecurity at US maritime ports, as well as invest over $20B to toughen the country's port infrastructure.¹
• The executive order gives the US Coast Guard authority to issue basic cybersecurity requirements for transportation vessels and ports, and to move any ships that pose a 'known or suspected cyber threat.'²
• In addition, the maritime sector is required to report cyber incidents and attacks to the Coast Guard, while the latter is tasked with sharing reports of cyber threats with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.³
• The Coast Guard will also boost a maritime security directive concerning cybersecurity requirements for the owning and operating Chinese-manufactured cranes, which could allegedly be serviced and programmed from remote locations.⁴
• According to Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger, the order comes in response to recent attacks on US water authorities by Iran-backed hackers, as well as multiple ransomware incidents targeting the country's healthcare system.⁴
• The development also comes weeks after FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to Congress that Chinese hackers have been 'preparing to wreak havoc' on America's critical infrastructure in the event of a US-China crisis.⁵

Sources: ¹CyberScoop, ²www.axios.com, ³CNBC, ⁴thehill.com and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Ecns. Accusations of Chinese cyberattacks against the US are baseless. It's the US, not China, that's launching cyberattacks, and to say otherwise is both untrue and irresponsible. Washington must stop smearing the reputations of non-aligned countries under the guise of cyber security.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by CNN. Ports are a vital part of the American economy, and any disruption to their functioning could destroy global supply chains. The US security guidelines must adapt to meet the Chinese threat as Beijing-backed hackers have burrowed themselves into much of the US maritime infrastructure.

Predictions