; relating to strengthening the cybersecurity of Federal networks and critical infrastructure), issued a document entitled Recommendations to the President on Deterring Adversaries and Better Protecting the American People From Cyber Threats , which stated, With respect to activities below the threshold of the use of force, the United States should, working with likeminded partners when possible, adopt an approach of imposing swift, costly, and transparent consequences on foreign governments responsible for significant malicious cyber activities aimed at harming U.S. national interests. . 3. Actions to address state-sponsored cyber activities against the United States (a) Designation as a critical cyber threat actor (1) In general The President, acting through the Secretary of State, and in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall designate as a critical cyber threat actor— (A) each foreign person and each agency or instrumentality of a foreign state that the President determines to be knowingly responsible for or complicit in, or to have knowingly engaged in, directly or indirectly, state-sponsored cyber activities that are reasonably likely to result in, or have contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States and that have the purpose or effect of— (i) causing a significant disruption to the availability of a computer or network of computers; (ii) harming, or otherwise significantly compromising the provision of service by, a computer or network of computers that support one or more entities in a critical infrastructure sector; (iii) significantly compromising the provision of services by one or more entities in a critical infrastructure sector; (iv) causing a significant misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers, or financial information for commercial or competitive advantage or private financial gain