Policy

Obama Issues Cybersecurity Executive Orders

Tasks the government to work with private business to work out security standards

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President Barack Obama used his State of the Union stage Tuesday to issue a highly anticipated executive order meant to safeguard the nation's power plants, water systems and other forms of critical infrastructure against crippling cyberattacks.

The eight-page order represents a major attempt to shore up the country's digital defenses against the new threats emerging from China, Iran and elsewhere — though it will require later intervention by a divided Congress and relies, at least for now, almost entirely on industry support.