Presidential Documents

63491 

Federal Register 

Vol. 79, No. 205 

Thursday, October 23, 2014 

Title 3— 

The President 

Executive Order 13681 of October 17, 2014 

Improving the Security of Consumer Financial Transactions 

Given that identity crimes, including credit, debit, and other payment card 

fraud, continue to be a risk to U.S. economic activity, and given the economic 

consequences of data breaches, the United States must take further action 

to enhance the security of data in the financial marketplace. While the 

U.S. Government’s credit, debit, and other payment card programs already 

include protections against fraud, the Government must further strengthen 

the security of consumer data and encourage the adoption of enhanced 

safeguards nationwide in a manner that protects privacy and confidentiality 

while maintaining an efficient and innovative financial system. 

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the 

laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve the security 

of consumer financial transactions in both the private and public sectors, 

it is hereby ordered as follows: 

Section 1. Secure Government Payments. In order to strengthen data security 

and thereby better protect citizens doing business with the Government, 

executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, as soon as possible, 

transition payment processing terminals and credit, debit, and other payment 

cards to employ enhanced security features, including chip-and-PIN technology. In determining enhanced security features to employ, agencies shall 

consider relevant voluntary consensus standards and specifications, as appropriate, consistent with the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget Circular A–119. 

(a) The Secretary of the Treasury shall take necessary steps to ensure 

that payment processing terminals acquired by agencies through the Department of the Treasury or through alternative means authorized by the Department of the Treasury have enhanced security features. No later than January 

1, 2015, all new payment processing terminals acquired in these ways shall 

include hardware necessary to support such enhanced security features. 

By January 1, 2015, the Department of the Treasury shall develop a plan 

for agencies to install enabling software that supports enhanced security 

features. 

(b) The Administrator of General Services shall take necessary steps to 

ensure that credit, debit, and other payment cards provided through General 

Services Administration (GSA) contracts have enhanced security features, 

and shall begin replacing credit, debit, and other payment cards without 

enhanced security features no later than January 1, 2015. 

(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall take necessary steps to ensure 

that Direct Express prepaid debit cards for administering Government benefits 

have enhanced security features, and by January 1, 2015, the Department 

of the Treasury shall develop a plan for the replacement of Direct Express 

prepaid debit cards without enhanced security features. 

(d) By January 1, 2015, other agencies with credit, debit, and other payment 

card programs shall provide to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

plans for ensuring that their credit, debit, and other payment cards have 

enhanced security features. 

(e) Nothing in this order shall be construed to preclude agencies from 

adopting additional standards or upgrading to more effective technology 

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63492 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 205 / Thursday, October 23, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

and standards to improve the security of consumer financial transactions 

as technologies and threats evolve. 

Sec. 2. Improved Identity Theft Remediation. To reduce the burden on 

consumers who have been victims of identity theft, including by substantially 

reducing the amount of time necessary for a consumer to remediate typical 

incidents: 

(a) by February 15, 2015, the Attorney General, in coordination with 

the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall issue guidance to promote regular 

submissions, as appropriate and permitted by law, by Federal law enforcement agencies of compromised credentials to the National Cyber-Forensics 

and Training Alliance’s Internet Fraud Alert System; 

(b) the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, and the Social 

Security Administration shall identify all publicly available agency resources 

for victims of identity theft, and shall provide to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) information about such resources no later than March 15, 2015, 

with updates thereafter as necessary. These agencies shall work in consultation with the FTC to streamline these resources and consolidate them wherever possible at the FTC’s public Web site, IdentityTheft.gov; and 

(c) OMB and GSA shall assist the FTC in enhancing the functionality 

of IdentityTheft.gov, including by coordinating with the credit bureaus to 

streamline the reporting and remediation process with credit bureaus’ systems 

to the extent feasible, and in making the enhanced site available to the 

public by May 15, 2015. 

Sec. 3. Securing Federal Transactions Online. To help ensure that sensitive 

data are shared only with the appropriate person or people, within 90 

days of the date of this order, the National Security Council staff, the 

Office of Science and Technology Policy, and OMB shall present to the 

President a plan, consistent with the guidance set forth in the 2011 National 

Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, to ensure that all agencies 

making personal data accessible to citizens through digital applications require the use of multiple factors of authentication and an effective identity 

proofing process, as appropriate. Within 18 months of the date of this 

order, relevant agencies shall complete any required implementation steps 

set forth in the plan prepared pursuant to this section. 

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent 

with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. 

(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: 

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, 

or the head thereof; or 

(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 205 / Thursday, October 23, 2014 / Presidential Documents 63493 

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, 

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party 

against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, 

employees, or agents, or any other person. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

October 17, 2014. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25439 

Filed 10–22–14; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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