Biden Signs Cybersecurity Executive Order After Colonial Pipeline Attack

On Wednesday, Atlanta-based Colonial said it "initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m. ET."

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that advances federal cybersecurity capabilities and encourages improvements in digital security standards across the private sector which has been hit by a spate of high-profile cyber attacks. The executive order establishes a series of initiatives designed to better equip federal agencies with cybersecurity tools. It follows a cyberattack against the Colonial Pipeline that caused some internal computer systems to be disabled with ransomware. This led Colonial to shut the pipeline, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States. On Wednesday, Atlanta-based Colonial said it "initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m. ET." The order also requires that software companies selling to the government maintain certain cybersecurity standards in their products and report whether they themselves have been compromised by hackers. The requirement was first reported by Reuters in March.