NATIONAL CYBER STRATEGY and sow discord in our democratic processes. We are vulnerable to peacetime cyber attacks against critical infrastructure, and the risk is growing that these countries will conduct cyber attacks against the United States during a crisis short of war. These adversaries are continually developing new and more effective cyber weapons. well as detection of, resilience against, response to, and recovery from incidents; destructive, disruptive, or otherwise destabilizing malicious cyber activities directed against United States interests are reduced or prevented; activity that is contrary to responsible behavior in cyberspace is deterred through the imposition of costs through cyber and non-cyber means; and the United States is positioned to use cyber capabilities to achieve national security objectives. This National Cyber Strategy outlines how we will (1) defend the homeland by protecting networks, systems, functions, and data; (2) promote American prosperity by nurturing a secure, thriving digital economy and fostering strong domestic innovation; (3) preserve peace and security by strengthening the United States’ ability — in concert with allies and partners — to deter and if necessary punish those who use cyber tools for malicious purposes; and (4) expand American influence abroad to extend the key tenets of an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet. The articulation of the National Cyber Strategy is organized according to the pillars of the National Security Strategy. The National Security Council staff will coordinate with departments, agencies, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on an appropriate resource plan to implement this Strategy. Departments and agencies will execute their missions informed by the following strategic guidance. The Strategy’s success will be realized when cybersecurity vulnerabilities are effectively managed through identification and protection of networks, systems, functions, and data as 3