Biden Executive Order Aims To Shore Up Us Cyber Defenses

President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at strengthening the nation's cybersecurity and making it easier to go after foreign adversaries or hacking groups that try to compromise U.S. internet and telecommunication systems.

Provisions in the order call for the development of minimum cybersecurity standards for government technology contractors and require that contractors submit evidence that they're complying with the rules.

They also are aimed at making it easier for U.S. authorities to sanction foreign governments that target the U.S. with cyberattacks - a change that comes after several recent hacking incidents linked to China , Iran , Russia and North Korea . Among other changes, the order allows sanctions to be imposed on foreign hackers who target hospitals or other organizations with ransomware.

The order also requires federal agencies to improve cybersecurity to protect against the threat posed by powerful quantum computers , which cyber experts say could be used to easily break into many systems. It's an issue that could have direct national security implications if a foreign adversary builds a computer sophisticated enough to break American codes.

The White House issued the order just days before Biden, a Democrat, leaves office. Republican President-elect Donald Trump's administration could rescind the policy in favor of its own proposals. But deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said the order's twin goals - strengthening cybersecurity and punishing those responsible for cyberattacks - should win bipartisan support.