America is going after cyber attackers based outside the country.
President Barack Obama called a growing epidemic of online attacks from overseas a national emergency and issuing an executive order Wednesday (April 1) giving power to the Treasury Department to freeze assets and bar financial transactions of those targeting U.S. computer networks.
The new sanctions program follows a rise in tensions between the U.S. and China over cyber security and the high-profile hacking at Sony over a satirical comedy with a plot to assassinate the leader of North Korea.
The U.S. pointed the finger at Pyongyang for that attack.
The U.S. has also been hit by a series of cyber attacks on retailers such as Target and Home Depot – and on military networks.
But as the executive order is broad, some lawmakers say it could turn into a compliance nightmare for companies, and warned that it was going to be tricky to pin down the criminals.
Obama said the U.S. would penalize those who harm critical infrastructure, misappropriate funds, use trade secrets for competitive advantage, and disrupt computer networks.
No deadline has been set for when the U.S. would come up with an initial round of targets but when it does, it will have more ammunition for the fight. (REUTERS)
