Five-page draft Trump administration cyber strategy targeted for January release

The six-pillar document covers a lot of ground in a short space, and could be followed by an executive order implementing it, according to sources familiar with the draft.

The Trump administration is aiming to release its six-part national cybersecurity strategy in January, according to multiple sources familiar with the document. The document, which is a mere five pages long, will possibly be followed by an executive order to implement the new strategy.

The administration has been soliciting feedback in recent days, which one source considered more of a “messaging” document than anything, with more important work to follow.

According to sources familiar with the strategy, the six “pillars” focus on cyber offense and deterrence; aligning regulations to make them more uniform; bolstering the cyber workforce; federal procurement; critical infrastructure protection; and emerging technologies.

An opening section of the draft offers a Trumpian call for a more muscular approach to cyberspace. Despite its short length — the Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy was 35 pages long — it touches on a significant number of topics.

Those subjects include cybercrime, China, artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and more.

National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross recently offered a preview of some of those themes and plans.

“As a top line matter, it’s going to be focused on shaping adversary behavior, introducing costs and consequences into this mix,” Cairncross said last month at the 2025 Aspen Cyber Summit. “It is becoming more aggressive every passing day, and as new technology is developed … and AI is folded into this next, it will become more aggressive.”

A source told CyberScoop the administration appeared genuinely interested in soliciting feedback on the strategy to incorporate or change.

The release date of the strategy is fluid. While the administration is targeting January, its publication might follow the broader national security strategy. Politico recently reported that the national security strategy had been delayed, but was still likely to be released this month.
Cairncross also recently talked about the broader approach of the strategy and what comes next.

“It will be setting the posture of the United States in this domain and things that we are driving toward, and we will have follow-on action items that will be in support of that strategy,” he said at the 2025 Meridian Summit.

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Government

• FBI officials say AI is bolstering adversaries, emphasizing need to focus on cyber basics, patching

• Feds accuse China of ‘systematic’ distillation of U.S. AI models

• CIA’s Michael Ellis says cyber intelligence is changing how the agency operates

• The G7 tells industry to hurry up and prep for post-quantum encryption

Technology

• European parliament members call for slowdown of Serbia’s EU entry over spyware use

• FCC proposes public scorecard to rate telecoms on anti-robocall efforts

• Pegasus, NoviSpy variant spyware found on devices of Serbian activists

• Wyden seeks upgraded NSA security guidance on commercial VPN use

Threats

• Microsoft discloses two actively exploited zero-days among 974 vulnerabilities

• Russian national extradited to US for alleged involvement in bank-account takeover scheme

• Attackers exploit zero-days in consistently besieged SonicWall product

• Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement

Policy

• Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail-in ballots

• ‘Watershed 250’ test program in Texas looks to private sector for water cybersecurity help

• Former sexual abuse victims say Grok used their images, videos to train deepfake capabilities

• Cyber threats nudge Trump to sign executive order on foreign equipment in U.S. energy infrastructure