Category Archives: HASC

Lawmakers want DOD to share more info with Americans on deterring hacks

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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are clamoring for the U.S. government to better communicate what it’s doing to fend off foreign hackers, a concern that has come front and center in recent days as Americans have queued up at gas stations following a ransomware attack against a major U.S. pipeline company. Colonial Pipeline, the largest pipeline in the country, temporarily had to shut down operations earlier this month in response to a ransomware attack impacting its IT networks. The company shut down operations to prevent the malicious software from spreading to its operational networks. The incident has raised questions about the fragility of U.S. critical infrastructure cybersecurity, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., indicated Friday she wants the U.S. government to tell the American people more about what it’s doing to try to prevent these kinds of attacks in the first place. ”It is so hard to explain to the American public […]

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U.S. Cyber Command chief calls for debate around hacking unit’s authorities

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Lawmakers and Pentagon leadership are considering plans that could one day provide U.S. Cyber Command with additional authorities to more easily operate outside declared war zones, two senior U.S. officials acknowledged Wednesday during an open congressional hearing. The testimony confirms aspects of a story CyberScoop published Wednesday about a push inside the government to give more authority to the military’s top hacking unit. That story described concerns shared in the intelligence community about the potential impact of a spike in cyber warfare operations. Such a shift in policy may allow Cyber Command to offer more protection to private companies, including those that own and operate what the U.S. government considers “critical infrastructure.” When it comes to offensive measures, the shift could also open the door for soldiers to hack a much wider array of targets; beyond the Middle East, where the military is already engaged in firefights. Under existing authorities, U.S. […]

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Proposed bill would make DOD tell Congress when ‘special cyber operations’ are taking place

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There’s an oversight bill in the works that would compel the Defense Department to notify Congress when the military is engaged in sensitive cyber operations. The bipartisan legislation, as it’s currently written, would require congressional notification when the Defense Department takes action in cyberspace under U.S. Code Title 10, which supervises operations led by Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, as well as the Reserves. Title 10 is unrelated to the U.S. government’s intelligence gathering mission set, which is led by federal organizations like the National Security Agency. Sponsored by top House Armed Service Committee Reps. Elise Stefanik, D-N.Y., Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., the bill does not provide Congress with any additional authorization authority, but rather codifies an informal disclosure process that exists between the Defense Department and relevant congressional committees. There is no mention of a public disclosure element in […]

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