Following a Series of Government Hacks, Biden Closes Out His Administration With New Cybersecurity Order

President Joe Biden issued an executive order to strengthen the nation’s cyber defenses.

It would require software providers like Microsoft to provide proof that they meet certain security standards before they can sell their products to the federal government.

The order follows an onslaught of cyberattacks in recent years in which hackers linked to Russia , China and other adversaries have exploited software vulnerabilities.

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Microsoft in a probe that will examine whether the company's business practices have run afoul of antitrust laws.

The FTC views the fact that Microsoft has won more federal business even as it left the government vulnerable to hacks as an example of the company’s problematic power over the market, a source told ProPublica .