National Security
Biden to sign executive order to mitigate cyberattacks
In the wake of increased cyberattacks and state security breaches from Russia, China and North Korea, President Biden is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday. The order is intended to place the United States in a position to “leapfrog well ahead” of adversaries and mitigate risks that the emerging technology poses to national and economic security, reports Fox News.
The executive order and security memo will gear towards advancing quantum information science. A senior administration official said the U.S. has “long been a global leader” in the development of new technologies, including quantum, a broad field of science and engineering.
“Quantum technologies are not a replacement to traditional computers, but rather a ‘fundamentally different kind of computer’ with the ability to analyze information in ways that traditional computers cannot. Quantum technologies, according to officials, have shown the potential to drive innovation in the American economy” adds Fox News.
“The goal of both the executive order and the National Strategy Memorandum is to ensure that we leapfrog well ahead of everyone else, both by promoting quantum information science and the benefits it can potentially bring from energy to medicine, in various areas of the economy, as well as to begin what will likely be a decade long transition to protect our systems from an adversary having a potential quantum computer,” said the official.
“America must start the lengthy process of updating our IT infrastructure today to protect against this quantum computing threat tomorrow.” The president’s executive order is set to “foster” those advances by committing to promoting those breakthroughs.
Fox News adds that the order will enhance the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, which is the federal government’s advisory body for quantum information science and technology, by placing it under the authority of the White House.
The official says the move would ensure the president, Congress, federal departments and agencies, and the general public receive “the most current, accurate and relative quantum information, science and technology to drive forward U.S. policymaking in this area.”
International
Mental health crisis spikes among Afghan women after Taliban regained control two years ago
The women of Afghanistan are suffering a mental health crisis since the Taliban regained power two years ago. According to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday, approximately 70% of women experience feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.
The numbers continue to rise, as there has already been a significant jump between April and June of this year alone, with an increase from 57% the preceding quarter.
The report, conducted by U.N. Women, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, interviewed women online, in-person and in group consultations as well as individual telesurveys.
592 Afghan women in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces took part in the study. The Associated Press reports:
They have barred women from most areas of public life and work and banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.
Opportunities to study continued to shrink as community-based education by international organizations was banned and home-based schooling initiatives were regularly shut down by the de facto authorities — a term use by the U.N. for the Taliban government.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education and the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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lu mahalo
May 5, 2022 at 5:55 pm
A day late and a dollar short, but at least soemthing is being done.
lu mahalo
May 5, 2022 at 5:56 pm
“soemthing” sorry, I lost my head
Pat Dant
May 5, 2022 at 7:12 pm
This will be about the fourth Executive Order stating the need to mitigate cyber-attacks. I would the check the order for trogon wording like “climate change” or “misinformation”. Seriously!
The reality is mitigation of the SCADA systems has been ongoing but will not fully protect our systems from cyber-attack due limits in Web 2.0 Internet technology. SCADA systems also usually use a 40 year refresh cycle. Making private companies provide new products that are cyber-secure and implementing them is a multi-decade effort.
It would have been better to announce targeting Web 3.0 to address the major weaknesses of Web 2.0 security which would have focused the efforts on new technologies and specifications.