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What Biden’s Victory Means for Cybersecurity Featured

With President-elect Joe Biden securing enough electoral votes to win the White House, cybersecurity policy looks poised for a new phase.

Biden smile 5621670 640Close observers of Biden and the cyber policy landscape say that Biden will highlight cybersecurity while in office, as Politico reports. Chris Painter, the top U.S. cyber diplomat from 2011 to 2017, predicted “a recommitment to cyber being an important issue.” James Lewis, a cyber expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, forecast “a high degree of continuity” from the Trump administration’s policy—but with “a lot smoother implementation.”

Others close to Biden look for him to follow the advice of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s report and set up a National Cyber Director role, notes law firm Holland & Knight in a blog post. One name already being floated for this White House position is that of Chris Inglis, former deputy director of the National Security Agency. “He [served] with great distinction at the NSA, and he also understands the workforce issues from being at the [U.S.] Naval Academy,” Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), the co-founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, told Politico.

Biden is also thought likely to push hard against election interference from countries like Russia and Iran, asThe Hill reports reports. “President-elect Biden recognizes that foreign interference in our electoral process is a direct assault on our democracy, and will take action to deter and defend against attacks that impact our economy, our national security and our way of life,” said Jamal Brown, Biden campaign spokesperson.

Alongside those efforts, Biden is expected to take a hard line against Russia, in contrast with the Trump administration’s hands-off approach, and to attempt to make a clearer and more consistent case about the cybersecurity threat from Chinese technology, as The Washington Post reports reports.

The Democratic Party’s 2020 platform, from August, urges the Biden administration to “maintain American capabilities that can deter cyber threats,” and to cooperate with foreign nations and private companies “to protect individuals' data and defend critical infrastructure, including the global financial system,” notes BankInfoSecurity.com.

Legislative efforts to promote cybersecurity, such as increased funding to the states, will likely be scuttled by the prospect of a divided Congress. According to a blog post from the center-left think tank the Brookings Institution, Biden will therefore have to make cybersecurity rules, like Presidents Obama and Trump before him, “through presidential orders, agency enforcement, and departmental discretion over appropriated money.”

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