The first-ever sanctions program aimed at penalizing foreign cyber hackers and cyber espionage will be signed into law today by President Obama, the Washington Post reports. By declaring “significant malicious cyber-enabled activities” a “national emergency,” the executive order will allow the treasury to freeze the assets and bank accounts of overseas cyber criminals that attempt to attack critical infrastructure, steal intellectual property, benefit from that stolen property, or disrupt major computer networks, according to the Post. The executive order gives the administration the same sanctions tools it now deploys to address other threats – including crises in the Middle East …read more
Source: Business Insider