After President Trump’s signature on a new policy statement on protecting critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, federal agencies will have just 24 hours to analyze threats to certain industries before deciding whether to disclose them to companies and the public.
The cyber-protection policy, which Trump signed into law on Saturday, requires agencies to inform the public if they determine there is an imminent risk of a large-scale, harmful cyberattack, threatening a part of the economy. Previously, federal agencies were required to assess the national-security threats but had far more leeway over how to present those findings.
“This ensures that when the president determines the national security threats could affect our core values of liberty and justice for all, the response mechanism is in place,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing on Saturday.
The policy was signed by Trump during a trip to Ohio, where he was scheduled to speak about the economy, the introduction of the tax code and the proposed Southern Border Wall, all of which will be a focus of the presidency.