Executive Order 13694: Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities
President: Barack Obama
Authorized blocking sanctions against foreign cyber actors responsible for specified serious harms to US systems and economic activity.
Status: In effect as amended.
Is Executive Order 13694 still in effect? Yes. EO 13694 remains in effect as amended, including EO 13757 on December 28, 2016 and EO 14306 on June 6, 2025; the emergency was continued in March 2026.
What does Executive Order 13694 do?
EO 13694 created a targeted financial response to serious malicious cyber activity with a foreign connection. Obama declared a national emergency based on the increasing prevalence and severity of cyber-enabled conduct threatening U.S. national security, foreign policy and economic stability. The order authorized Treasury determinations, made with Justice and State consultation, rather than automatically sanctioning anyone accused of hacking. Signed order.
The original criteria covered threats to critical-infrastructure services or computers, serious network disruption and significant misappropriation of funds, trade secrets, personal identifiers or financial information for competitive advantage or private gain. They also reached certain users of stolen trade secrets, supporters of covered activity and entities owned, controlled or acting for blocked persons. Once a person was designated, property under U.S. jurisdiction or U.S.-person control was blocked and prohibited dealings extended to support and evasion. These are financial restrictions, not an executive criminal conviction. Signed order.
Before and after
Before the order
Existing sanctions programs could address particular countries or other threats, but this order supplied a tailored cyber emergency and designation framework. It required a serious threat and specified harmful conduct, including a qualifying foreign nexus, instead of treating every computer intrusion or commercial dispute as an eligible national-emergency sanction. Signed order.
After the order
Treasury issued initial Cyber-Related Sanctions Regulations on December 31, 2015. EO 13757 added election-process information tampering and an annex of designated persons in December 2016. OFAC replaced its abbreviated rules with a more comprehensive regulation in September 2022. On June 6, 2025, EO 14306 revised the designation language from any person to any foreign person in the specified subsections. The March 2026 presidential continuation kept the underlying emergency active beyond April 1, 2026. Signed order. Sources: EO 13757: election-interference amendment; OFAC comprehensive 2022 cyber sanctions regulations; EO 14306: June 2025 amendment; 2026 cyber emergency continuation; OFAC current cyber-related sanctions program.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury Secretary / OFAC | Determine qualifying persons after Justice and State consultation; issue regulations and licenses and implement IEEPA blocking measures. | As needed during emergency; no fixed designation deadline. |
| Attorney General | Consult on Treasury designations, implementation and congressional reporting. | With determinations and required reports. |
| State Secretary | Consult on sanctions and reports and carry out applicable entry restrictions within State authority. | With determinations and ongoing entry processing. |
| Treasury Secretary | Submit recurring and final congressional reports required by emergency statutes. | According to NEA and IEEPA requirements. |
| All federal agencies | Take appropriate implementation measures within their authority. | Ongoing while measures remain operative. |
What happened next
Obama declared the cyber emergency and signed EO 13694. Official source
OFAC issued initial cyber-related sanctions regulations. Official source
EO 13757 amended designation criteria to address election interference and added an annex. Official source
OFAC issued a comprehensive replacement for its initial cyber sanctions regulations. Official source
EO 14306 changed specified designation language to any foreign person. Official source
The presidential notice continued the cyber emergency beyond April 1, 2026. Official source
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The financial authority rests on IEEPA and the National Emergencies Act, with delegated presidential powers under 3 U.S.C. 301. Blocking is subject to statutory exclusions and Treasury regulations, orders or licenses; it freezes property rather than automatically confiscating ownership. Entry restrictions operate through the order's suspension and the referenced proclamation. The signed text removes advance notice for blocking determinations because assets can be transferred quickly, but it does not extinguish every applicable legal process or make a listing equivalent to guilt under a criminal statute. All agencies act within their existing authority, and Treasury submits required emergency reports to Congress with Justice and State consultation. A meaningful account must also distinguish the original 2015 language from the current amended version. In particular, the June 2025 amendment narrowed the relevant designation language to foreign persons while retaining the sanctions mechanism. The emergency's annual continuation preserves that framework; it does not newly designate every entity mentioned in another government's allegation. Signed order. Sources: EO 13757: election-interference amendment; OFAC comprehensive 2022 cyber sanctions regulations; EO 14306: June 2025 amendment; 2026 cyber emergency continuation; OFAC current cyber-related sanctions program.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- Treasury OFAC — cyber sanctions (opens in a new tab) Official record
- eCFR — 31 CFR part 578 (opens in a new tab) Official record
- Executive Order 13694: signed text
- OFAC comprehensive 2022 cyber sanctions regulations
- EO 14306: June 2025 amendment
- 2026 cyber emergency continuation
- OFAC current cyber-related sanctions program
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →