Category Archives: Michael McCaul

Congress again wants the State Department to pay more attention to the internet

Posted on by

Prominent House members are again seeking to create a high-level position within the State Department dedicated to advancing U.S. cybersecurity interests worldwide. The Cyber Diplomacy Act would require the department to open an Office of International Cyberspace Policy, whose top official would report directly to the secretary of State or deputy secretary of State. The office’s primary goals would be to advocate democratic ideals for cyberspace and push back against Russian and Chinese effects to “extort more control and censorship over the internet,” say the bill’s sponsors, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the panel’s ranking member. The legislation closely resembles a bill passed by the House and approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2018. That version only specified that the head of the new office should be designated an assistant secretary of State. It also called for the office to have a broader purview that included the “digital economy.” The proposals surfaced last Congress after then-Secretary […]

The post Congress again wants the State Department to pay more attention to the internet appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Congress again wants the State Department to pay more attention to the internet→

McCaul: U.S. should go on the cyber offensive if Russia hacks midterms

Posted on by

The United States should respond with offensive cyber operations if the Russian government tries to meddle in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections like it did in the 2016 presidential election, according to an influential Republican lawmaker. “Personally, if [the Russians] attempt to do that again in the 2018 midterms, I think there should be an offensive response to it,” Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Wednesday. In January 2017, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russian government-linked hackers meddled in the 2016 presidential election as part of a broad Kremlin-backed effort to help elect U.S. President Donald Trump. Over the last several months, senior U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly warned of the possibility of renewed Russian information operations ahead of midterm elections this fall. While nothing on the scale of the 2016 meddling has been detected yet for the 2018 cycle, a public […]

The post McCaul: U.S. should go on the cyber offensive if Russia hacks midterms appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading McCaul: U.S. should go on the cyber offensive if Russia hacks midterms→

House panel rejects call for cyberthreat report on ZTE amid Trump deal

Posted on by

On the heels of a reported U.S. deal with embattled Chinese telecom company ZTE, American lawmakers rejected a Democratic measure that would have directed the Department of Homeland Security to provide more information on any cybersecurity risks posed by the international tech company. The top Republican and Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee sparred over the utility of the resolution, which would have tasked DHS with providing any documentation it has on cyber risks introduced by the use of ZTE products on federal, state and local government networks. The Republican-led panel voted 16-11 against the measure. Instead, lawmakers will get a classified briefing from officials at DHS, the FBI and the Defense Department on June 13 about the  national security risks posed by ZTE and Huawei, another Chinese technology giant. Texas Republican Michael McCaul, the committee’s chairman, announced the briefing at a committee markup Wednesday on Capitol Hill. U.S. […]

The post House panel rejects call for cyberthreat report on ZTE amid Trump deal appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House panel rejects call for cyberthreat report on ZTE amid Trump deal→

House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD

Posted on by

The House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly passed a defense policy bill with several cybersecurity measures aimed at better securing Pentagon networks. The legislation — the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — seeks closer collaboration between the departments of Defense and Homeland Security in defending against hackers, asks for quick notification of data breaches of military personnel, and continues to crack down on foreign-made telecom products that are deemed security threats. The NDAA is an annual ritual that lawmakers use to shape Pentagon policies and budget plans while throwing in some pet projects to boot. The House bill — a $717 billion behemoth — eventually will be merged with the Senate’s version, which that chamber’s Armed Services Committee also approved this week. It’s unclear when the Senate bill will have floor votes. One key provision of the House bill, according to the Rules Committee print, would set up a pilot program for […]

The post House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD→

DHS unveils long-stalled cyber strategy

Posted on by

The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday released a long-awaited cybersecurity strategy that looks to more proactively tackle the agency’s mandate to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. The department’s cybersecurity support for critical infrastructure operators must “focus on systemic risk or address risk at individual entities that have the greatest potential impact on national security, public health and safety, and economic security,” the strategy states. The document will chart DHS’s course in cyberspace over the next five years and is an effort to keep pace with a changing threat landscape, the department said. “Nation-states continue to present a considerable cyber threat,” the document states, “but non-state actors are emerging with capabilities that match those of sophisticated nation-states.” The five broad aims of the strategy are to better identify digital risks, reduce threats and vulnerabilities, mitigate the consequences of cyberattacks, and “enable cybersecurity outcomes” by making infrastructure more resilient and improving DHS […]

The post DHS unveils long-stalled cyber strategy appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading DHS unveils long-stalled cyber strategy→

Rep. Mike McCaul: It’s taken too long to reauthorize NPPD

Posted on by

Representatives on the House Committee on Homeland Security stressed the need for attention to cybersecurity issues at an event addressing the state of national security on Monday at George Washington University. Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, painted a bleak picture when it comes to the cybersecurity threats the U.S. faces from foreign adversaries. He also promoted ongoing Congressional efforts to reorganize the office inside the Department of Homeland Security that oversees national cybersecurity infrastructure. “Our adversaries, both nation-state and non-state actors, threaten us around the clock in cyberspace,” McCaul said. “Whether it’s North Korea launching a global cyberattack crippling infrastructure, to China stealing our nation’s valuable intellectual property, to Russia conducting disinformation warfare campaigns to sow discord among our people, to Iran attacking our financial institutions, to terrorists spreading evil propaganda over the internet, to criminals taking our financial and personal information, we are all exposed to harm.” McCaul touted […]

The post Rep. Mike McCaul: It’s taken too long to reauthorize NPPD appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Rep. Mike McCaul: It’s taken too long to reauthorize NPPD→