Category Archives: Dutch Ruppersberger

Lawmakers call for cyber leadership as they introduce bill that would create White House post

Posted on by

After then-national security adviser John Bolton eliminated the position of White House cybersecurity coordinator in the spring of 2018, Democratic lawmakers quickly introduced a bill to restore the position, arguing that it was crucial for the White House to show leadership on the issue. The bill never went anywhere. But two years later, the push for creating a top White House cybersecurity post is gaining fresh traction, with support from Republicans. A bipartisan group of House members on Thursday introduced new legislation that would create a “national cyber director” at the White House. The director would serve a similar role to the coordinator, but have more authority to examine cybersecurity budgets and oversee national incident response. Instituting a national cyber director was a key recommendation put forth by the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which released a report in March arguing for big changes to U.S. cybersecurity policy. Two leading members […]

The post Lawmakers call for cyber leadership as they introduce bill that would create White House post appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Lawmakers call for cyber leadership as they introduce bill that would create White House post→

Sen. Van Hollen: Government sees no EternalBlue in Baltimore ransomware attack

Posted on by

A second lawmaker from Maryland now says it doesn’t appear that the ransomware attack in Baltimore relied on a stolen National Security Agency exploit, EternalBlue. “It’s the federal government’s view that EternalBlue was not involved in the ransomware attack in Baltimore City,” Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen told CyberScoop on Monday following a briefing on Capitol Hill from NSA officials. The briefing was organized following requests from officials who sought details on whether the government’s own exploit, which was exposed in a 2017 leak from the NSA, had been used in an attack that hobbled Baltimore for weeks. The New York Times reported May 25 that EternalBlue was used to spread the ransomware, known as RobbinHood, across networks in Baltimore and in several other American cities. Van Hollen joined Democratic Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger in his assessment, which was based on a separate briefing from the NSA last week, that the government has determined EternalBlue was not […]

The post Sen. Van Hollen: Government sees no EternalBlue in Baltimore ransomware attack appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Sen. Van Hollen: Government sees no EternalBlue in Baltimore ransomware attack→

Ruppersberger: NSA has no evidence EternalBlue was in Baltimore attack

Posted on by

Senior National Security Agency officials have no evidence a tool developed by the NSA “played a role” in the ransomware attack on Baltimore, Rep. Dutch Ruppersperger said Friday following a briefing at the agency’s headquarters. Ruppersberger, D-Md., and other officials requested briefings with the agency following a report from The New York Times that the exploit, known as EternalBlue, was used to help spread the RobbinHood ransomware variant across the city’s IT infrastructure. “I have been told that there is no evidence at this time that EternalBlue played a role in the ransomware attack currently affecting Baltimore City,” Ruppersberger said in a statement. “I’m told it was not used to gain access nor to propagate further activity within the network.” A followup briefing with other members of Maryland’s congressional delegation is expected to be held Monday. “It is important that discussions regarding the use of government cyber tools, and subsequent […]

The post Ruppersberger: NSA has no evidence EternalBlue was in Baltimore attack appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Ruppersberger: NSA has no evidence EternalBlue was in Baltimore attack→

Private sector isn’t sharing data with DHS’s threat portal

Posted on by

For years, U.S. government officials have been trying to provide firms with actionable threat data in time for corporate officials to block hackers from compromising their networks. The 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) gave firms legal cover to provide threat data to the government; the Department of Homeland Security rolled out an automated threat-sharing program in 2016; and Republican and Democratic administrations have preached the information-sharing gospel at conferences across the country. But today, amid consistent nation-state cyberthreats to U.S. companies, there is a growing consensus in Congress and in the private sector that these federal efforts are falling way short of expectations and needs. Two years after DHS established its Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) program, just six non-federal organizations are using it to share threat indicators with the government, a DHS official told CyberScoop. “That’s unacceptable and it surely doesn’t reach the threshold I hoped it was going […]

The post Private sector isn’t sharing data with DHS’s threat portal appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Private sector isn’t sharing data with DHS’s threat portal→

Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress

Posted on by

U.S. lawmakers are preparing to block any attempt by President Donald Trump to significantly soften sanctions against the Chinese telecom giant ZTE. While Trump said Tuesday that a deal has yet to be finalized, members of Congress continued to take a hard line against the company, which the Commerce Department banned from accessing U.S. technology after it sold equipment to Iran and North Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping has been pushing Trump to relax the U.S. stance while American lawmakers, intelligence agencies and military officials have been emphasizing the longstanding national security grievances against the Chinese firm. The reported deal would lift the American sales ban against ZTE. In light of all the criticism, Trump’s potential solution “is like a wet noodle,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said. The latest strike against ZTE — which admitted wrongdoing and blamed internal processes on failing to fire sanctions violators rather than intentional malice — sent shock waves through the […]

The post Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress→

House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices

Posted on by

The Homeland Security spending bill advancing in the House of Representatives follows the Trump administration’s budget request in proposing severe cuts on the department’s Science and Technology Directorate — slashing the research programs and technology development facilities that it runs, including its national laboratories. Although the bill, which covers appropriations for DHS for fiscal 2018, has a long way to go before it becomes law, the administration is already moving ahead with the cuts, preparing to shutter three of its five national labs. The cuts have drawn protests from former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Democrats in the House and Senate. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, and the Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, are both on the chopping block. The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which has an office in New York City and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, is also […]

The post House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices→

House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices

Posted on by

The Homeland Security spending bill advancing in the House of Representatives follows the Trump administration’s budget request in proposing severe cuts on the department’s Science and Technology Directorate — slashing the research programs and technology development facilities that it runs, including its national laboratories. Although the bill, which covers appropriations for DHS for fiscal 2018, has a long way to go before it becomes law, the administration is already moving ahead with the cuts, preparing to shutter three of its five national labs. The cuts have drawn protests from former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Democrats in the House and Senate. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, and the Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, are both on the chopping block. The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which has an office in New York City and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, is also […]

The post House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices→

Russia poses largest cybersecurity risk to U.S., Rep. Ruppersberger says

Posted on by

Although all of America’s adversaries present serious cyberthreats, Russia’s hackers are the most dangerous right now, says the Maryland congressman whose district houses the National Security Agency. “Cyber issues [are] so important to what we do. And what’s kind of keeping me up a little bit right now, it’s not China,” Democratic Rep. Dutch Ruppersburger said at the 2017 Digital Nation Summit presented by SAP and FedScoop. “I mean, we have to always look at China, and you have to look at Iran, you have to look at North Korea … but I think right now, where we have to focus especially in this field, is Russia.” Russian President Vladimir Putin is shrewd, smart and motivated to reunite the Soviet Union, and he’s pouring the country’s funds into cybersecurity, military and space, said Ruppersberger, who has served on several key committees during his long tenure in Congress, including the House Intelligence panel. His suburban Baltimore […]

The post Russia poses largest cybersecurity risk to U.S., Rep. Ruppersberger says appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Russia poses largest cybersecurity risk to U.S., Rep. Ruppersberger says→

Definitions for cyberwar terms sought by House lawmakers

Posted on by

The Trump administration should publish definitions for key terms in cyberspace conflict as part of a comprehensive national policy to defend the country from online attack, says a resolution introduced in the House. “The United States should develop and adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity policy that clearly define acts of aggression, acts of war, and other related events in cyberspace, including any commensurate responses” by U.S. forces, states the bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 200. It is sponsored by Democrat C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger of Maryland, whose district includes the Fort Meade headquarters of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, and by Republican Scott Taylor of Virginia, who represents the  defense-facility heavy Newport News-Virginia Beach area. Such “sense of the House” resolutions are non-binding, but the sponsors said they wanted to use the document to start a conversation about properly preparing the nation to defend itself from hackers, cybercriminals and other online enemies. The two men […]

The post Definitions for cyberwar terms sought by House lawmakers appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Definitions for cyberwar terms sought by House lawmakers→