By Jennifer Martinez | From TheHill.com | On Monday February 11th, 2013

The White House is poised to release a cybersecurity executive order on Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter told The Hill.

The highly anticipated directive from President Obama is expected to be released at a briefing Wednesday morning at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where senior administration officials will provide an update about cybersecurity policy.

The White House began crafting the executive order after Congress failed to pass cybersecurity legislation last year. Officials said the threat facing the United States was too great for the administration to ignore.

The executive order would establish a voluntary program where companies operating critical infrastructure would elect to meet cybersecurity best practices and standards crafted, in part, by the government. It has been revised several times over the past few months.

White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel, Commerce Department Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Jane Lute and National Security Director Gen. Keith Alexander will be among the officials participating in Wednesday’s briefing, according to details obtained by The Hill.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the timing of the order.

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This article was originally posted at: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/282269-white-house-poised-to-release-cybersecurity-executive-order-on-wednesday