White House Pushes ‘Action-Oriented’ Cyber Strategy to Deter Threats

The White House has a renewed focus on cybersecurity according to Seth McKinnis, a senior official from the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD). 

At GovCIO Media & Research’s CyberScape Summit on Thursday, McKinnis said the president’s recently released  National Cyber Strategy and recently signed executive order are both “action-oriented” approaches to cybercrime. The national strategy consists of six pillars, beginning with deterring adversaries. McKinnis said that for too long, cyber attackers have operated with minimal risk.  

“For a long time, cyber adversaries have not really had to think twice about attacking American interests and infrastructure,” he said, adding that the administration aims to impose strict consequences for cyber criminals.  

To coincide with the national strategy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month titled Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens. McKinnis the order works to decrease the amount of people who effected by cybercrime. A Pew Research Center study found 73% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some kind of online scam or attack.  

“That’s a pretty staggering number, especially when you think that in many cases these especially when you think that in many cases, these cyber criminals are sitting behind a computer on the other side of the world targeting Americans without consequence,” he said. “The executive order really says, ‘hey, it’s unacceptable for transnational criminal organizations, including many of these cyber criminals who are organizing those sort of groups, to target Americans, to steal their life savings, to steal their data, to in some cases, even cause harm to their to them and to their families.’” 

The order ensures that the federal government uses every tool it has — from diplomatic tools, economic tools, law enforcement tools and technical tools — to swiftly and aggressively respond to cybercrime organizations and the countries that support them. It also directs the Secretary of State to consider limiting foreign assistance, targeted sanctions, visa restrictions, trade penalties, and the immediate expulsion of foreign officials and diplomats complicit in the schemes.  

The second part of the executive order tasks the attorney general with establishing a Victims Restoration Program to repay victims of cyber-enabled fraud schemes from funds “clawed back, forfeited, or seized from the [Transnational Criminal Organizations] that perpetrate such schemes.” 

McKinnis said the goal it to make adversaries “think twice before they target Americans.” 

To best defend and even prevent cybercrime requires improved information sharing and regulatory reform, McKinnis said. Timely, actionable intelligence and clearer coordination between federal, state and private-sector partners during cyber incidents can help to speed up the response. He also called for regulatory reform and indicated that excessive or poorly designed regulations can hinder effective responses. 

“How do we streamline and ensure those regulations are causing the right impacts … as opposed to having an extra compliance checklist during their worst day?” he said, emphasizing the need for practical, outcome-driven policies.