The meeting comes in the wake of a series of dramatic cybersecurity incidents, including the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that shut down gas and oil deliveries throughout the southeast, the SolarWinds software supply chain attack and an extensive hack on Microsoft Exchange servers. In a statement, the White House said a “whole-of-nation effort” is needed to address cybersecurity threats. To that end: The White House also received commitments from cyber insurance providers and educational organizations to improve the nation’s security posture. In early May, President Biden issued a cybersecurity executive order requiring federal agencies to modernize their cyber defenses. The Biden Administration earlier this year also launched a 100-day initiative to improve cybersecurity across the electric sector. On Wednesday, the administration announced the initiative has improved the cybersecurity posture of more than 150 electric utilities and would now expand to natural gas pipelines. Additionally, the White House Wednesday said the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would develop a new framework to improve the security and integrity of the technology supply chain. To do so, it will work with partners including Microsoft, Google and IBM.
