Trump executive order alters Biden-era cybersecurity regulations

The Trump administration issued an executive order rolling back and altering key points of U.S. cybersecurity strategy.

The White House announced the new order from the president, which will alter and add on to a number of points from the Biden administration’s Executive Order 04144, as well as a number of other cybersecurity policies issued by the Biden and Obama administrations.

“Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity by focusing on critical protections against foreign cyber threats and enhancing secure technology practices,” the administration said in announcing the order.

Among the issues addressed in the order was a rollback in identity protections. The Trump order removes previous rules the Biden administration set on requiring agencies to maintain identity management tools and practices.

The administration has said that the move will remove requirements it deemed “problematic” and will streamline the process of managing federal projects and agencies.

The order will not only apply to the agencies themselves, but it will also have an impact on the contractors that work with them.

Industry pundits said the order will affect a number of industries. In the case of identity management, the order could have a ripple effect on the private sector as contractors who no longer face security requirements could lose an incentive to maintain best practices.

“If you were in a non-regulated industry, but you were doing work with the federal government, it made it it easy to say we have got to do this,” said Dustin Sachs, a cybersecurity expert and chief technologist for the CyberRisk Collaborative.

“My fear is this is going to be used to take the foot off the pedal.”

Trump administration calls for hardening quantum encryption

Also addressed in the order was quantum computing and its applications for the cybersecurity sector.

It has long been held that as quantum computers advanced, the encryption field could see seismic changes. The advanced computing capabilities of quantum systems will allow for current encryption standards to be more easily broken and could put both communications and at-rest data at risk of breach.

Under the Trump order, federal agencies were directed to not only develop encryption algorithms that are hardened against quantum systems, but also maintain a list of technologies that can be useful in what it calls the "post quantum world."

Karl Holmqvist, founder and CEO of security provider LastWall, said that the move could signal a shift in the way the government views the prospects for quantum computing and the timeline for its widespread roll out.

 “The executive order's timeline, requiring new security protocols by 2030, reflects a sobering reality that intelligence communities understand but rarely say publicly: the emergence of a cryptographically-relevant quantum computer (CRQC) is not a question of if, but when,” he said.

“And the ‘when’ appears closer than most technology leaders want to admit.”

Finally, the order addresses artificial intelligence. While the subject of AI management was seen as a key point in the administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” legislation, the White House seems to want to make sure that the federal government takes a leading role in deciding the policies to govern AI.

The new executive order directed agencies to develop and maintain policies for addressing AI threats and responses.

“It is further strengthening the statement that the federal government wants to take the lead on AI,” said Sachs.

“That could, if done correctly, be the best thing for AI development. If we get definitive national standards.”