The U.S. House of Representatives passed companion legislation Tuesday to the Senate’s bipartisan Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act.
The act, reintroduced in February, authorizes the DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate to create permanent “cyber hunt” and “cyber incident response” teams. The teams would be tasked with detecting cyberattacks, providing recommendations for improving network security and creating mitigation strategies. The teams also would mitigate cyberattacks and assist with restoring services following an attack.
The teams would work with both federal agencies and the private sector.
The teams are now part of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.
The bill was introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
“I am pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve companion legislation to our bipartisan bill that will help prevent and mitigate cyberattacks that threaten the safety, security, and privacy of Granite Staters and Americans,” Hassan said. “I urge the Senate to vote on this commonsense legislation as soon as possible to help strengthen our country’s cyber defenses.”
Hassan and Portman have worked together on other cybersecurity bills. Their Hack DHS Act and Public-Private Cybersecurity Cooperation Act both became law in 2018.