Congress urged to overhaul how it oversees cybersecurity Follow Us
Question of the Day A member of the National Guard walks past the U.S. Capitol during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Trump was charged by the House with incitement of insurrection for his role . more > By Ryan Lovelace - The Washington Times - Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Lawmakers are pushing Congress to overhaul how it oversees the nation’s cybersecurity, including by adding new committees dedicated to the issue.
The effort gained momentum after the hack of SolarWinds computer network management software, which roiled the federal government and served as a wake-up call about widespread vulnerabilities in U.S. computer networks.
Anne Neuberger will now oversee the investigation into the SolarWinds supply chain attack.
The Biden administration has appointed Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, to coordinate the investigation into the cyberattack that targeted SolarWinds and other organizations, following criticism from two senators that the probe has lacked coordination and transparency.
On Wednesday, Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. confirmed Neuberger was coordinating the ongoing investigation by the Cyber Unified Coordination Group, which includes four agencies. In the first weeks of the Biden administration, Neuberger has held a series of consultations with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress on our approach to SolarWinds specifically and our cybersecurity strategy broadly, she said. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress on these issues.
Mr. Warner, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence chair, and Mr. Rubio, the intelligence committee’s top-ranking Republican, wrote a letter ripping the intelligence community’s response to the hack earlier this week. The senators pleaded with the federal government to assign a leader to handle the SolarWinds hack and later said on Wednesday that they welcomed Ms. Neuberger’s selection.
“The Committee looks forward to getting regular briefings from Ms. Neuberger and working with her to ensure we fully confront and mitigate this incident as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Warner and Mr. Rubio in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr. Biden’s National Security Council said Ms. Neuberger has led the federal government’s response since day one, according to reports.
The senators addressed the letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, National Security Agency Director Paul M Nakasone, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, and Brandon Wales, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. They criticized the intelligence community for briefings that showed a disjointed and disorganized response and making it more likely that critical tasks would fall through the cracks. The threat our country still faces from this incident needs clear leadership to develop and guide a unified strategy for recovery, in particular a leader who has the authority to coordinate the response, set priorities, and direct resources to where they are needed, the letter continued.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia (left) and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
See update on the Biden administration s appointment of a leader for SolarWinds supply chain attack investigation.
Citing a lack of coordination and transparency, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio of the Intelligence Committee are urging the four federal agencies investigating the cyberattack that targeted SolarWinds and other organizations to designate a leader for their investigative efforts. The threat our country still faces from this incident needs clear leadership to develop and guide a unified strategy for recovery, in particular a leader who has the authority to coordinate the response, set priorities and direct resources to where they are needed, the two senators say.