President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday outlining his approach to protecting federal agencies from hackers.
He’ll do it after meeting with cybersecurity experts at the White House, according to administration officials.
The order will put heads of all federal agencies on notice that they themselves will be responsible for making sure their electronic defenses are sufficient, a White House official told reporters. That is to keep them from passing the buck to lower-level staffers, the official said.
At the top this effort will be the Office of Management and Budget, which will examine the cybersecurity risks across the executive branch, the official said.
The fixes will include a requirement for all agencies to update their information technology systems, and working with private industries, including utilities, to shore up protection of the electrical grid and other “critical infrastructure,” the official said.
Related: More Than 4 Billion Data Records Were Stolen Globally in 2016
The plan, the administration said, is based on recommendations that were originally made under President Obama.
“The executive order is the first step the president is taking to address new security challenges of the 21st century,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in an afternoon briefing.
