Biden Signs National Security Memo for Cybersecurity

President Joe Biden signed a national security memorandum Wednesday, setting requirements for improving cybersecurity protection at NSA, DOD and intelligence community systems. Biden signed it as part of his May executive order. The memo establishes a framework for agencies to report cyber incidents to a national manager. Within six months, agencies will have to implement “multifactor authentication and encryption for NSS [national security systems] data-at-rest and data-in-transit,” the memo said. Agencies must implement zero trust architecture “as practicable.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., welcomed the news: “Now it’s time for Congress to act by passing our bipartisan legislation that would require critical infrastructure owners and operators to report such cyber intrusions within 72 hours.”