Welcome to OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY, your daily rundown of the biggest news in the world of hacking and data privacy. We're here to connect the dots as leaders in government, policy and industry try to counter the rise in cyber threats. What lies ahead for Congress, the administration and the latest company under siege? Whether you're a consumer, a techie or a D.C. lifer, we're here to give you ...

CYBERSECURITY EXECUTIVE ORDER FINALLY ARRIVES:

--WE'VE GOT AN EO: President Trump signed two executive orders today, one on voter fraud and another on cybersecurity. The voter fraud one will be controversial with Democrats. But the cybersecurity executive order is getting mostly good reviews from industry and lawmakers. The order was long awaited by the cybersecurity community. Drafts of the executive order have leaked since the first days of the Trump administration. The White House once even scheduled a signing ceremony, which was later scrapped. The cybersecurity executive order contains suggestions that are, by and large, considered good ideas by experts, including holding agency heads accountable for cybersecurity. In the past, agency leaders often demurred to IT staff when problems arose. Other portions of the order require agencies to follow the NIST cybersecurity framework, reguire them to study things ranging from a cyberwarfare deterrence plan to increasing their cyber workforce, and to focus on modernizing critical infrastructure.

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--EARLY PRAISE FROM CONGRESS: President Trump's executive order on cybersecurity won early supporters on Capitol Hill, though several expressed continuing concerns about the path forward in defending against cyber threats. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has taken aim at the new administration for its lack of movement toward a cyber policy or strategy, expressed appreciation for Trump's interest in understanding the threats in cyberspace--but said plainly, "We do not need more assessments, reports, and reviews." "I hope the various reviews ordered today will be completed quickly and build on the many assessments required by the past two defense authorization bills so we can move on to the urgent business of formulating a strategy to deter, defend against, and respond to cyberattacks on our nation," McCain added. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), a member of a cyber subcommittee in the House, expressed support for the executive order, particularly its provisions related to federal network and critical infrastructure protection. He described the order as largely a "continuation of the Obama administration's approach" to cybersecurity. Langevin, however, expressed concerns about the Trump administration's slow pace in filling cybersecurity roles, which he indicated could compromise implementation of the executive order. "I remain deeply concerned by the president's lack of urgency in appointing officials to fill critical cybersecurity roles, including at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security," Langevin said.

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--EX-INTEL CHIEF CLAPPER WAS SKEPTICAL: Earlier Thursday, before the order was released, former director of national intelligence James Clapper said he doubted cyber executive order would come with the authorities and resources needed to implement it. Clapper credited the administration for pursuing the executive order to strengthen cybersecurity of federal networks and critical infrastructure, but did not express much optimism that its goals would be achieved. Clapper spoke alongside other former officials in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on cyber policy and strategy Thursday morning. "The Trump administration understands preparing a new executive order and strengthening the cybersecurity of federal networks and critical infrastructure, emphasizes accountability [and] managing government IT architectures," Clapper told the Senate panel. "What I expect is, though, that the accompanying authorities and resources will not match these bold goals."

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LATEST ON COMEY FIRING:

--ACTING FBI BOSS CONTRADICTS WHITE HOUSE: The fallout over President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey dominated Washington on Thursday. All eyes were on Comey's replacement, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats, but faced a number of questions on the firing and the bureau's investigation into Russian election interference. McCabe directly contradicted a claim by the White House that the "rank and file" at the FBI had lost faith in Comey. "Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day," McCabe told the committee, calling it the "greatest privilege" of his professional career to work with Comey.

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--TRUMP NARRATIVE UNRAVELS: Key portions of the White House's explanation of how President Trump decided to fire Comey came into question on Thursday, underlining a growing credibility crisis for the administration. Remarkably, it was Trump himself who undercut statements from White House officials about the firing. In excerpts from an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt airing Thursday, the president said he had made up his mind about getting rid of Comey even before receiving a recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Ron Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "I was going to fire regardless of the recommendation," Trump said. That contradicted statements from the White House and Vice President Mike Pence a day before.

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--WHITE HOUSE INSISTS STORY HAS BEEN "CONSISTENT": Even so, the White House argued Thursday that its account of the events surrounding the firing of FBI Director James Comey is "consistent" despite the emergence of contradictions and competing accounts in recent days. "If you want to talk about people in the dark, our story is consistent," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during the daily White House press briefing. "The people that are in the dark today are the Democrats."

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been asked to brief the entire Senate next week in the wake of Comey's firing.

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--THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM: White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday there is nothing inappropriate about President Trump asking the FBI director if he is under investigation. During an interview with "NBC Nightly News" Thursday, Trump said he asked ousted Director James Comey three times -- once over dinner and twice on the phone -- whether he was the subject of a bureau investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election. The statement echoed the statement Trump released when he fired Comey on Tuesday. In it, he claimed that Comey had told him three times that he was not under investigation. "Don't you see how that's a conflict of interest?," ABC's Jonathan Karl said to Sanders. "The FBI director says he wants to keep his job, and the president is asking whether he's under investigation?" "No, I don't believe it is [a conflict of interest]," Sanders responded. "I don't see that as a conflict of interest and neither do the many legal scholars and others that have been commenting on it for the last hour," she continued. "So no, I don't see that as an issue."

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--TRUMP CANCELS TRIP TO FBI HEADQUARTERS: President Trump has abandoned plans to visit FBI headquarters in the days after he fired James Comey as director, according to a report on Thursday. Trump was told FBI agents might not give him a warm reception following Comey's ouster, NBC News said Thursday. FBI agents told NBC that many of them voted for Trump during the 2016 presidential election. But NBC's sources added that few were ready to celebrate Trump's visit after he sacked their boss. "My sense is most FBI employees feel a loyalty to Comey," one person who works at the bureau said, and right now "Trump would not be well-received at headquarters."

 http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/overnights/333050-overnight-cybersecurity-cyber-eo-signed-fbi-acting-head