How to affect Trump's second term to national cybersecurity and US hi-tech lead position in the world?
Intro
As President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House for the second time, the technology industry is anticipating what could be a defining era of policy transformation. Key areas of focus include 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 and strategic competition with China in high-tech sectors. With a legacy of bold regulatory shifts and an “𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭” approach, Trump’s administration could profoundly 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝.
Trump’s administration has pledged to deploy “all tools” to protect essential assets, signaling a continued commitment to strengthening the nation’s defenses. This approach could mean broader government 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬, alongside collaboration with private tech firms to create fortified, resilient systems designed to withstand future cyber threats, particularly those originating from hostile nation-states.
Throughout his political career, Trump has championed an “𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭” approach, a principle that is expected to guide his second term’s tech policies. While this stance 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, , it could also pose challenges for others.
Before Trump 2.0
In March 2023, the Biden administration released its National Cybersecurity Strategy, which came in the wake of a series of significant cyber intrusions and ransomware attacks, including SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, Colonial Pipeline, and JBS Foods. To push the United States toward a more cyber-secure future, the Biden strategy aimed to produce two “fundamental shifts.”
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 sought to “rebalance the responsibility to defend cyberspace by shifting the burden for cybersecurity” onto “organizations that are most capable and best-positioned to reduce risks for all of us.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 looked to “realign incentives to favor long-term investments,” balancing between the need to “defend ourselves against urgent threats today” while “simultaneously strategically planning for and investing in a resilient future.”
When anticipating radical shifts in policy that could take place under a new Trump administration, some have noted cybersecurity is a bipartisan issue. Indeed, the Biden strategy “continue[d] momentum” on many priorities, including “collaborative defense of the digital ecosystem,” found in the 2018 National Cyber Strategy issued under 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
As it stands, U.S. cybersecurity law is a “patchwork quilt” of state and federal regulations, with instances of duplicative or contradictory rules and requirements. This characteristic of the regulatory environment can negatively impact cybersecurity, as cybersecurity teams are forced “to prioritize compliance over security, ultimately lacking in a consistent approach to security.” Insofar as two goals of the new Trump administration are to create government efficiency and a more favorable environment for industry, it could set about harmonizing the existing regulatory landscape, which, as Brandon Pugh of the R Street Institute explains, is no small feat.
5 Cybersecurity Priorities for The Trump 2.0
Administration President Donald Trump’s administration will assume a cybersecurity portfolio that has continued to evolve toward combating digital threats since the𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 (𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐀) was created 6 years ago out of the 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐃𝐇𝐒). CISA’s mission is a formidable one. The list of hostile threat players in cyberspace is quite extensive. Nation-states, organized criminals, terrorists, and hacktivists are all included.
From my outside looking in perspective, 5 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 with CISA under the new Administration as we begin 2025. They include,
1) Protecting U.S. critical infrastructure,
2) Prioritizing Interagency Government Cooperation and Public-Private Cooperation,
3) Building on Government Cyber Risk Management Strategies,
4) Addressing The Emerging Technology Landscape, and
5) Ensuring The Cybersecurity of Space Systems
Space is still a new and very promising frontier. Again, no one knows that better than 𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐤. The reality of our growing dependency on that ecosystem for communications and sensing will not be lost on the new administration. CISA and other government agencies are becoming more aware and focused on growing cyber security implications. That trend will continue.
Key anticipated trends include:
Diminished Government Oversight in Cyber Regulation: Trump’s approach leans towards deregulation, favoring public-private partnerships to fortify cybersecurity rather than heavy-handed government mandates. This includes likely efforts to roll back Biden-era AI regulations, which the Republican platform criticizes as stifling innovation andimposing radical left-wing ideas on the technology’s development.
Reevaluation of CISA’s Role: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), created during Trump’s first term, may face reduced influence. Recommendations from conservative think tank Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 suggest narrowing its mission, potentially limiting its involvement in election security and disinformation countermeasures claiming they amounted to censorship. Although Trump has not officially endorsed Project 2025, many contributors are closely aligned with his campaign, suggesting these recommendations may shape future policies.
Threat Disruption To Focus on China and Iran: With Trump’s hardline stance on China, we expect an aggressive posture towards Chinese economic espionage, particularly in advanced tech sectors. Similarly, the Iranian regime is also likely to face increased scrutiny after recent reports indicated that an Iranian threat actor breached the Trump campaign and offered information to Democratic operatives.Conversely, public attribution of Russian cyber operations may become less frequent, as Trump’s rhetoric on Russia and Vladimir Putin suggests a potential shift away from “name and shame” tactics employed by US intelligence agencies.
Leadership Shifts: Leadership changes, such as replacing Biden-appointed officials like CISA Director Jen Easterly, are anticipated. This may lead to a recalibration of priorities, particularly in areas like disinformation and AI regulation.
The first changes
On Tuesday, a day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the new U.S. president, the Department of Homeland Security told members of several advisory committees that they were effectively fired.
Among the committees impacted is the Cyber Safety Review Board, or CSRB, according to sources familiar with the board who spoke to TechCrunch, as well as reporting by other news outlets. The CSRB was made up of both private sector and government cybersecurity experts.
One person familiar with the CSRB, who received the letter informing them that their membership in the CSRB was being terminated, criticized the decision.
“Shutting down all DHS advisory boards without consideration of the impact was horribly shortsighted,” the person, who asked to remain anonymous, told TechCrunch. “Stopping the CSRB review when China has ongoing cyberattacks into our critical infrastructure is a dangerous blunder. We need to learn from Salt Typhoon and protect ourselves better. The fact this isn’t a priority for Trump is telling.”
Trump's Immigration And Talent Acquisition
The tech industry’s dependence on international talent, particularly through 𝐇-1𝐁 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬, may face renewed scrutiny under stricter immigration policies. Trump’s previous immigration approach focused on enhancing U.S. security and prioritizing domestic employment, which could limit access to 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. This shift may drive companies to invest more in local talent development, training and hiring initiatives—potentially even reversing some of the significant tech layoffs experienced over the past two years.
Trump’s Re-election To Fuel Politically-Motivated Cyber Activity
The return of Donald Trump to the presidency is expected to bring significant 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐒 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬. As a result, Quo Intelligence anticipates an uptick in politically-motivated cyber activity, such as state-sponsored cyber operations and hacktivism, targeting Western entities. In contrast, the broader cybercrime landscape is unlikely to experience substantial changes directly linked to Trump’s re-election, with 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 and an ongoing professionalization and adaptation among cybercriminals.
Key Takeaways
The Trump administration is expected to intensify its stance on cybersecurity threats from foreign actors.
There will be a focus on prioritizing countermeasures against state-sponsored attacks, particularly from nations like China, Russia, and Iran.
Experts talk about deregulations and plans to roll back policy.
CISA may prioritize cyber defense, but broader federal coordination will be needed.
Vulnerability disclosure programs could play an important role in AI and software security.
Outro
Trump’s return to office signals a new chapter in U.S. technology policy, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. The influence of prominent tech leaders like 𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧 is also anticipated, as their views on innovation and national security could shape the administration's approach to technology policy. For the tech industry, this could usher in a period of rapid change and growth, with U.S.-led innovation and more flexible regulatory approaches setting a new standard on the global stage.
𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬:
(1) https://www.techopedia.com/how-will-american-cybersecurity-look-under-trump
(2) https://www.brookings.edu/articles/trump-2-0-what-cybersecurity-shifts-lie-ahead/
(7) https://www.axios.com/2024/09/03/donald-trump-2024-cybersecurity-agenda
(8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autgP0IVbTA
(10) https://quointelligence.eu/2024/11/trump-second-term-what-it-means-cybersecurity-threats/