WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order and create a federal rule Wednesday aimed at better securing the nation's ports from potential cyberattacks.

The administration is preparing a set of cybersecurity regulations that port operators must comply with across the country, similar to the standardized physical safety regulations that exist.

“We want to ensure there are similar requirements for cyber, when a cyberattack can cause just as much if not more damage than a storm or another physical threat,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser at the White House.

Nationwide, ports employ roughly 31 million people and contribute $5.4 trillion to the economy, and could be left vulnerable to a ransomware or other brand of cyber attack, Neuberger said.

The standardized set of requirements is designed to help protect against that.

The new requirements, to be published Wednesday, are part of the federal government's focus on modernizing how critical infrastructure like power grids, ports and pipelines are protected as they are increasingly managed and controlled online, often remotely. There is no set of nationwide standards that govern how operators should protect against potential attacks online.

In Australia last year, a cyber incident forced one of the country's largest port operators to suspend operations for three days.

Late last month, U.S. officials said they had disrupted a state-backed Chinese effort to plant malware that could be used to damage civilian infrastructure.

The new standards, which will be subject to a public comment period, will be required for any port operator and there will be enforcement actions for failing to comply.

The actions also give the Coast Guard, which regulates the nation's ports, the ability to respond to cyber attacks.

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