Biden plans to strengthen protection against cyber threats for ports

President Biden is expected to sign an executive order on Wednesday that will strengthen the government's ability to respond to maritime cybersecurity threats, amid increased concerns that China could try to hinder critical infrastructure systems within the United States.

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, previewed the executive order for reporters Tuesday evening, saying it would expand the powers of the Department of Homeland Security.

She said the order would also allow the U.S. Coast Guard to establish rules establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements at ports in the United States, and that the administration would invest $20 billion in port infrastructure as part of Mr. Biden's infrastructure agenda . The order would give the Coast Guard the ability to monitor the movements of vessels that pose a threat and require ports and waterfront facilities to correct known or suspected cyber threats.

The announcement of the initiative comes as U.S. officials, including the director of the FBI, warn that Beijing could attempt to launch a comprehensive hacking operation aimed at disabling the United States' power grid, oil pipelines and water systems in case of a conflict over Taiwan. . On Tuesday, officials said the initiative was not a response to a specific threat.

Ms. Neuberger said the executive order was a shift from “asking to requiring” that the nation's shipping ports, which support 31 million jobs and serve as major entry points for international cargo, assess any cybersecurity risks and report them to government agencies, including the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

But officials did not say how the new rules that set a baseline for secure cybersecurity operations at ports would be enforced, or what would happen if companies violated them.

The executive order also addresses long-standing concerns from watchdogs that many of the ship cranes in U.S. ports that are manufactured by China could be manipulated to disrupt U.S. supply chain operations.

Coast Guard Vice Adm. John C. Vann told reporters that the service was assessing 200 cranes in the United States for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. He said about half of them had been evaluated, but he did not share what officials had found.

“By design, these cranes can be controlled, maintained and programmed from remote locations,” he said, noting that these features potentially made Chinese production cranes “vulnerable to exploitation.”