Executive Order 13757: Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities
President: Barack Obama
Expanded cyber sanctions to information tampering and used them against Russian actors linked to the 2016 election interference.
Status: In effect.
Is Executive Order 13757 still in effect? Yes. EO 13757 remains an operative amendment to the EO 13694 cyber-sanctions framework, with that framework further amended in 2025 and its emergency continued in 2026.
What does Executive Order 13757 do?
EO 13757 changed the cyber-sanctions order after the 2016 U.S. election. Obama stated that the increasing use of malicious cyber activity to undermine democratic processes required additional measures. The order inserted an express designation criterion for tampering with, altering or misappropriating information for the purpose or effect of interfering with election processes or institutions. Signed order.
This was an amendment to EO 13694, not a separate general criminal prohibition on political expression. It retained the requirement that covered cyber-enabled activity pose a qualifying significant threat and have the relevant foreign connection. It also inserted an annex naming Russian intelligence services and related officers and organizations. Their property within U.S. jurisdiction or U.S.-person possession or control became blocked under the amended text, while other designations depended on Treasury findings in consultation with Justice and State. Signed order.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 13694 already covered serious cyber harm to infrastructure, networks and economic resources, and the misuse of stolen trade secrets. It did not expressly identify election-process information tampering as its own category. EO 13757 added that category and placed specified persons directly in an annex, allowing the sanctions response to address the threat identified in the President's election-interference rationale. Signed order.
After the order
The amendments became effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 29, 2016. Treasury could subsequently determine that blocking an annex-listed person was no longer warranted and take action to lift that restriction. OFAC's September 2022 rule incorporated EO 13757 into the comprehensive cyber-sanctions regulations. A June 2025 amendment to the underlying EO 13694 narrowed specified designation subsections to foreign persons. The 2026 continuation notice expressly included EO 13757 among measures under the continuing cyber emergency. Signed order. Sources: OFAC 2022 comprehensive cyber sanctions rule; 2025 changes to the underlying sanctions order; 2026 continuation of cyber emergency.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury Secretary / OFAC | Apply amended criteria with Justice and State consultation; administer blocking and determine when circumstances no longer warrant blocking an annex-listed person. | Amendments effective December 29, 2016 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time; removal decisions as warranted. |
| Attorney General | Consult with Treasury on qualifying determinations and lifting blocking for annex-listed persons. | When Treasury makes relevant determinations. |
| State Secretary | Consult on designation and unblocking decisions within the amended sanctions framework. | When relevant determinations occur. |
What happened next
Obama signed the election-interference amendment to EO 13694. Official source
The amendment and annex blocking became effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Official source
OFAC replaced its initial cyber regulations with comprehensive rules implementing EO 13694 and EO 13757. Official source
EO 14306 revised specified EO 13694 designation language to foreign persons. Official source
Trump continued the cyber emergency and expressly identified EO 13757 in the continuing framework. Official source
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
IEEPA and the National Emergencies Act supplied the emergency economic authority; 3 U.S.C. 301 supported delegation. The operative prohibition came through amended EO 13694, so its definitions, licenses, exceptions, reporting assignments and anti-evasion provisions need to be read with this shorter amending order. Blocking freezes affected property and transactions; it does not establish a criminal sentence or automatic forfeiture. The new section 10 expressly authorized Treasury, after Justice and State consultation, to end blocking for an annex-listed person when circumstances no longer warranted it. That provision prevents the annex from being described as legally irreversible. Current administration of 31 CFR part 578 also requires attention to later amendments and OFAC authorizations. EO 14306's 2025 foreign-person wording did not revoke EO 13757 wholesale, and the March 2026 notice continued the emergency rather than allowing its statutory foundation to lapse. The order creates no private enforceable right or benefit. Signed order. Sources: OFAC 2022 comprehensive cyber sanctions rule; 2025 changes to the underlying sanctions order; 2026 continuation of cyber emergency.
Sources by type
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Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →