Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on the Biden Administration’s Efforts to Protect U.S. Critical Infrastructure

by Emily J. Horne

The Biden Administration is taking steps to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure from persistent and sophisticated cyber threats. As a pilot of the Administration’s broader cybersecurity initiative planned for multiple critical infrastructure sectors, today the Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing a 100-day plan to improve the cybersecurity of our nation’s electric infrastructure. This is a coordinated effort between DOE, the electricity industry, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Public-private partnership is paramount to the Administration’s efforts because protecting our Nation’s critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility of government and the owners and operators of that infrastructure. The 100-day plan includes aggressive but achievable milestones and will assist owners and operators as they modernize cybersecurity defenses, including enhancing detection, mitigation, and forensic capabilities.

Innovative partnerships like these are essential to addressing the urgent cybersecurity challenge because much of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector. We deeply appreciate the partnership of private sector leaders in the utility sector. These efforts underscore the President’s commitment to and tackling cyber threats from adversaries who seek to compromise critical systems that are essential to U.S. national and economic security.