WASHINGTON, D.C. – This past week, the Senate passed a landmark, bipartisan legislative package authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to significantly enhance our nation’s ability to combat ongoing cybersecurity threats against our critical infrastructure and the federal government. The legislation is urgently needed in the face of potential cyber-attacks sponsored by the Russian government in retaliation for U.S. support in Ukraine.

The legislation combines language from three bills Peters authored and advanced out of his committee – the Cyber Incident Reporting Act, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2021, and the Federal Secure Cloud Improvement and Jobs Act. The combined bill, known as the Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act, would require critical infrastructure owners and operators and civilian federal agencies to report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) if they experience a substantial cyber-attack. It would also require critical infrastructure owners and operators to report ransomware payments to CISA, modernize the government’s cybersecurity posture, and authorize the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) to ensure federal agencies can quickly and securely adopt cloud-based technologies that improve government operations and efficiency.

At Peters Urging, Senate Passes His Historic Cybersecurity Legislation

Leader Schumer: “Cyber warfare is truly one of the dark arts specialized by Putin in his authoritarian regime. And this bill will help protect us from Putin's attempted cyber-attacks against our country. Last year, I asked Chairman Peters and other relevant committee chairs to draft legislation to counter the increased threat. And Senator Peters has done an outstanding job and I want to commend him… When this legislation passes and is signed into law, America will be a safer place.” ...

Senator Peters: “This is especially important right now, as we face increased risk of cyber-attacks from Russia, and the cybercriminals that they harbor in retaliation for our support for Ukraine. I appreciate the Senate for coming together here tonight to get this important landmark bill done.”

MSNBC Morning Joe: Peters Discusses Historic Legislation to Safeguard Americans from Cyber-Attacks

Senator Peters: “Critical infrastructure is always the Achilles heel of any society. So you can see massive attacks against communications systems, fuel systems, we saw what a ransomware attack did in the United States earlier when we had a major pipeline actually shut down for a period of time to deal with a ransomware attack. So you can really cripple an economy pretty quickly with cyber. And the danger, if the Russians were to do that in Ukraine, if you're injecting malware into these systems, there isn't necessarily a good way to actually contain that.”… 

Senator Peters: “We believe we're not getting all that information and we have to know when attacks are occurring in our country so we can prepare, and importantly warn others that this is a type of attack that we're undergoing. It's like any kind of battlefield, the first thing you need to know is situational awareness. You need to know where the enemy is, what weapons do they have, where you are, what's the geography? We need the same kind of information in the cyber domain. And that's why this incident reporting legislation is absolutely critical.”

Washington Post: The Senate is Finally Passing Big Cyber Bills 

“A few hours before President Biden’s speech, the chamber passed the most significant cyber legislation in history — including a mandate for companies in critical sectors to alert the government when they’re hacked or when they pay ransoms to hackers.”… 

“‘As our nation continues to support Ukraine, we must ready ourselves for retaliatory cyberattacks from the Russian government,’ Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a lead sponsor of the bill, warned. He called the bill ‘a significant step forward to ensuring the United States can fight back against cybercriminals and foreign adversaries.’” 

Roll Call: Senate Passes Bill to Mandate Reporting of Cyberattacks 

“The measure is Congress’ response to a series of significant cyberattacks, including the SolarWinds assault and the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline that not only affected the victim organizations but also left federal agencies reeling to figure out who else might be affected and how to prevent the attacks from spreading.”… 

“Peters said in a statement that as the United States and allies support Ukraine, ‘we must ready ourselves for retaliatory cyber-attacks from the Russian government.’”… 

“Cyberattacks can ‘significantly disrupt our economy — including by driving up the price of gasoline and threatening our most essential supply chains — as well as the safety and security of our communities,’ Peters said.” 

Wall Street Journal: Senate Passes Cyber Package That Would Require Firms to Report Hacks 

“The Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act comprises three bills intended to bolster public- and private-sector security, including by modernizing federal agencies’ cyber posture and updating how they can adopt cloud-based technologies.”… 

“Passed by unanimous consent hours before President Biden addressed Congress in his State of the Union address, the legislation now heads to the House.”… 

“‘You’re going to want to comply because CISA is there providing robust support for you,’ Mr. Peters said in an interview Tuesday. ‘The only way the industry can protect itself is that people have to have situational awareness.’” 

CNN: Senate Passes Major Cybersecurity Legislation to Force Reporting of Cyberattacks And Ransomware

“The Senate on Tuesday passed major cybersecurity legislation, moving one step closer toward forcing critical infrastructure companies to report cyberattacks and ransomware payments.”… 

“The legislation, which still has to pass in the House, would require critical infrastructure owners and civilian federal agencies to report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within 72 hours if they experience a substantial cyberattack. It would also require critical infrastructure companies to report ransomware payments to the federal government within 24 hours.”… 

“‘As our nation continues to support Ukraine, we must ready ourselves for retaliatory cyber-attacks from the Russian government,’ Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who was the lead author on the package of bills, said in a statement, noting that online attacks have the potential to disrupt the economy, drive up gasoline prices and threaten supply chains.”

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