; and (C) on May 19, 2014, five Chinese military hackers were charged for hacking United States companies in the nuclear power, metals, and solar products industries, and engaging in economic espionage. (6) In May 2017, North Korea released WannaCry pseudo-ransomware, which posed a significant risk to the economy, national security, and the citizens of the United States and the world, as it resulted in the infection of over 300,000 computer systems in more than 150 countries, including in the healthcare sector of the United Kingdom, demonstrating the global reach and cost of cyber-enabled malicious activity. (7) In June 2017, Russia carried out the most destructive cyber-enabled operation in history, releasing the NotPetya malware that caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage within Ukraine and across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. (8) In May 2018, the Department of State, pursuant to section 3(b) of Executive Order No. 13800, prepared 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 other relevant Federal agency heads, 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 have engaged in, directly or indirectly, state-sponsored cyber activities that are reasonably likely to result in, or have contributed to, a significant