A bipartisan group of four senators has introduced legislation that would mandate the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to provide companies technical assistance to identify and fix vulnerabilities in systems used to manage industrial operations.
CISA, a component agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would be tasked with leading federal initiatives to help public and private sector organizations secure critical infrastructure networks under the DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act.
Sens. Mark Rubio, R-Fla.; Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; and Mark Warner, D-Va. and three-time Wash100 Award winner, are the bill's sponsors.
The bill would also require CISA to brief members of Congress about the agency's ability to protect operational technology and share cyber threat information with ICS users. The House of Representatives has unanimously approved a companion bill introduced by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrambling to pass stronger cybersecurity measures due to sophisticated threats aimed at the country's critical infrastructure assets, such as the ransomware attack that halted fuel pipeline transport encompassing more than 5,500 miles.