WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 9769, the “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act,” which was advanced by the House Homeland Security Committee to combat growing cyber threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against U.S. critical infrastructure.

In September, Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL), Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), and Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) introducedH.R. 9769 to establish an interagency task force, led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to address the widespread cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored cyber actors associated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Prominent threats include ‘Volt Typhoon’ and the recently discovered PRC-affiliated cyber actors that targeted U.S. telecommunications providers.

“Earlier this year, the FBI confirmed Chinese hackers infiltrated American infrastructure and accessed information from systems used by the federal government. We cannot allow our foreign adversaries to continue to attack the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day which is vital to the nation’s economy,” Rep. Laurel Lee said. “I am pleased to see my bill, the Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act, pass the House which will establish a task force and implement a focused, coordinated, and whole-of-government response to stop China’s targeting of our critical infrastructure.”

“As the Chinese Communist Party grows increasingly brazen in cyberspace, my colleagues and I took a decisive step today toward ensuring a whole-of-government response to these threat actors and bolstering our nation’s collective defense,” Chairman Green said. “From Volt Typhoon undermining our critical infrastructure to PRC cyber actors embedding into our telecommunications networks, Beijing’s espionage and pre-positioning efforts threaten the very technology that underpins Americans’ daily lives. The real-world consequences for all Americans will be devastating if we don’t combat these intrusions going forward. The government and private sector must be better prepared to protect our networks. I am grateful for Representative Lee’s leadership in this effort, and I urge the Senate to send this legislation to the president’s desk without delay.”

“At our Select Committee hearing earlier this year, FBI Director Wray broke the news that the United States had uncovered state-affiliated Chinese hackers, known collectively as Volt Typhoon, who infiltrated American critical infrastructure and installed malware to unleash a cyber-attack at a time of their choosing,” Chairman Moolenaar said. “I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation led by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) that will help protect the American people.”

Background:

The “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act” also requires the task force to provide a classified report and briefing to Congress annually for five years on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations relating to malicious CCP cyber activity. The legislation was unanimously advanced out of the Committee in September.

House passage of H.R. 9769 comes as the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) begins its assessment of the intrusions into telecommunication networks by a CCP-affiliated threat actor known by Microsoft as “Salt Typhoon.” According to CISA, the intrusion is still ongoing and has impacted at least eight U.S. companies.

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