What a Joe Biden Presidency Means for Cybersecurity

President-elect Joe Biden’s approach to cybersecurity appears likely to increase pressure on Russia, practice greater involvement in cybersecurity, and foster high levels of coordination. The Democratic Party’s 2020 platform calls for the administration to “maintain American capabilities that can deter cyber threats,” as well as to work with other countries and the private sector “to protect individuals’ data and defend critical infrastructure, including the global financial system.” It’s unclear what Biden’s approach to offensive cyber operations might be, however.

A likely move will be to restore some of the organizational cybersecurity structures that the Trump administration excised, says James Lewis, of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lewis believes that could include giving the White House a bigger role in coordinating cybersecurity policy and reining in agencies such as U.S. Cyber Command, which he says has encroached on the Department of Homeland Security’s areas of authority. Another likely action will be restoring the cybersecurity coordinator role eliminated by the Trump administration in the wake of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.