America will retaliate any form of cyber attack

chika ebuzor

April 2, 2015 12:00 AM

From now on, we have the power to freeze their assets, make it harder for them to do business with US companies, and limit their ability to profit from their misdeeds.

President Obama

President Obama in a statement released to white house correspondents said; "This Executive Order authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of State, to impose sanctions on individuals or entities that engage in malicious cyber-enabled activities that create a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States."

A white house source says this executive order gives President Obama the power to deal with cyber-attacks as acts of terrorism. The New York Times reports that actions that "target critical infrastructure; steal money, trade secrets or personal information; or disrupt computer networks through what are called denial-of-service attacks are listed."

During his press conference after issuing the executive order, President Obama said "From now on, we have the power to freeze their assets, make it harder for them to do business with US companies, and limit their ability to profit from their misdeeds."

Security analysts say this is a firm measure put in place to deter anyone or country from trying to pull any cyber attack like the December cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, because of the movie - "The Interview," a film mocking North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.

Cyber-security and legal experts say the new executive order would give the president additional powers for retaliation in an event of a cyberattack. Rather than focusing on specific countries, the executive order allows the US to focus its efforts on the malicious activity and the individuals, regardless of where the attack originated.

White House Cybersecurity coordinator Michael Daniel was quoted on CNN saying “This allows us to have an executive order that focuses directly on the activities of concern whether they arise in North Korea or another jurisdiction.” He also said that the program fills the cyber-security gap where current means are insufficient, noting that the order will serve as both punishment and deterrent.

chika ebuzor