An executive order issued by President Joe Biden just days before he leaves office aims to shore up America's cyber defenses while making it easier to go after foreign countries that launch cyberattacks.

Smart devices like baby monitors, fitness trackers and internet-connected appliances could soon carry labels certifying that they meet federal cybersecurity standards.

A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans.

A top White House official says at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order and created a federal rule aimed at better securing the nation’s ports from potential cyberattacks.

Recent attacks on American water authorities by Iranian-aligned hackers — as well as a separate spate of ransomware attacks hitting the U.S. health care system — are calling federal officials to action.

Some K-12 public schools are racing to improve protection against the threat of online attacks.

The White House has accused Russia of being responsible for cyberattacks targeting Ukraine’s defense ministry and major banks.

The operator of a major U.S. pipeline hit by a cyberattack says it hopes to have service mostly restored by the end of the week.

A top Biden administration official says the government is undertaking a new effort to help electric utilities, water districts and other critical industries protect against potentially damaging cyberattacks.

That's according to the White Houses National Security Council. As a result, the number of vulnerable systems has fallen by 45%, according to an NSC spokesperson. The one-click Microsoft tool was created to protect against cyberattacks and to scan systems for compromises and fix them. AdThe White House earlier this month described the hack as an “active threat” that was being addressed by senior national security officials. Many of the remaining vulnerable systems are tied to small businesses but not limited to any one sector.

AdThe reaction reflects the severity of a hack that was disclosed only in December. The administration has also proposed expanding by 30% the budget of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, or CISA, a little-known entity now under intense scrutiny because of the SolarWinds breach. The breach was discovered in early December by the private security firm FireEye, a cause of concern for some officials. AdRight after the hack was announced, the Treasury Department bypassed its normal competitive contracting process to hire the private security firm CrowdStrike, U.S. contract records show. “In practical terms, what that meant is they weren’t invited in because no department or agency wants to look bad,” he said.

Ad“This is a sophisticated actor who did their best to hide their tracks,” she told reporters at the White House. It will take us some time to uncover this layer by layer.”U.S. authorities have said the breach, disclosed in December, appeared to be the work of Russian hackers. “This isn’t the only case of malicious cyber activity of likely Russian origin, either for us or for our allies and partners,” Neuberger added. Intelligence agencies did not detect the breach because they largely have "no visibility into private-sector networks," and it was launched within the U.S., Neuberger said. The Biden administration supports changes to “culture and authorities” that prevented the hack from being detected on the federal civilian systems, she added.