Biden boosts security on sensitive systems

President Biden signed a national security memorandum on Wednesday that sets new cybersecurity requirements for sensitive national security systems run by the Pentagon, intelligence community and other federal agencies.

The memorandum lays out how Biden’s May executive order on federal government cybersecurity applies to national security systems controlled by government agencies, stating that national security systems should at minimum have the same security protection as federal civilian networks under that order.

The memorandum requires these agencies to prioritize resources to adopt and use cloud technology. It also directs agencies to implement multifactor authentication and encryption for most national security systems within 180 days of its signing.

It also requires affected agencies to report suspected breaches of national security systems to the National Security Agency (NSA) and requires the NSA in coordination with DNI and CIA to establish plans for reporting such suspected compromises.

The memo empowers NSA to issue binding directives to agencies to take action to mitigate a potential cyber threat or vulnerability.