The Committee on Homeland Security passed bipartisan bills to secure critical federal infrastructure from rising cyberattacks. Additionally, these bills aim to establish a national cyber exercise program to promote preparedness and resilience to cyber incidents. In this article at Bleeping Computer, Sergiu Galtan explains the five bipartisan bills introduced in House.
Why Are the Bills Introduced?
These bills are the direct result of the Homeland Security Committee’s oversight of recent cyber incidents. This includes the ransomware attack that forced Colonial Pipeline to shut down and the SolarWinds supply chain attack. While Colonial Pipeline reportedly paid a $5 million ransom, the SolarWinds supply chain attack provided the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) access to the networks of U.S. federal agencies and companies. The five bipartisan bills promise to make it easier to defend networks from cyberattacks using critical security vulnerabilities.
What Are the Bills?
The ‘Pipeline Security Act’ (H.R. 3243)
This bill is designed to make it easier for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to safeguard the pipeline systems against cyber attacks, terrorist attacks, and other threats.
The ‘State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act’ (H.R. 3138)
This bill sanctions a $500 million grant program to provide state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments with money to secure their networks from ransomware and other cyberattacks.
The ‘Cybersecurity Vulnerability Remediation Act’ (H.R. 2980)
This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assist critical infrastructure owners and operators in mitigating critical, known vulnerabilities.
The ‘CISA Cyber Exercise Act’ (H.R. 3223)
This act aims to establish a National Cyber Exercise program within CISA to promote regular testing and systemic assessment of preparedness and resilience to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.
The ‘Domains Critical Homeland Security Act’ (H.R. 3264)
This bill authorizes DHS to conduct research and development into supply chain risks for critical domains of the U.S. economy.
To read the original article, click on https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-introduces-bills-to-secure-critical-infrastructure-from-cyber-attacks/?&web_view=true.
