"Today the president signed a national cyber strategy, the first fully articulated cyber strategy in 15 years," Bolton said in a conference call. "The strategy takes effect today."
"For any nation taking cyber activity against the United States, they should expect… we will respond offensively as well as defensively," Bolton said in a conference call.
The National Security Adviser stressed that the United States is not as restricted in launching offensive hacking operations as under the previous administration, explaining that the US' federal agencies would follow new security guidelines under the new cybersecurity strategy.
The plan aims to protect US information systems, improve resilience in cyberspace, and secure infrastructure, he said. In addition, the strategy will foster American economic growth, cyber ingenuity and preserve US cyber stability, Bolton said.
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Bolton said Trump earlier in the day signed a new US cyber strategy that went into effect immediately.
In March, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called on Trump to devise a cyber defense strategy to protect critical infrastructure including the electric grid, oil pipelines, air traffic control, and financial institutions.