Ratcliffe introduces bill imposing sanctions on Iranian cyber attackers

U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced new legislation on Thursday that requires the administration to impose sanctions on hackers linked to the Iranian government.

The Iran Cyber Sanctions Act of 2016 requires the administration to take action on an April 2015 executive order that authorized the Treasury Department to sanction individuals and entities who engage in malicious cuber activities against the Untied States.

“The danger posed by Iran’s increasingly sophisticated cyber capabilities has grown significantly over the past few years, and we must take these threats seriously,” Ratcliffe said. “However, just talking about the need to fight back against malicious cyber actors isn’t enough – the administration must follow through with forceful action that shows we mean business when it comes to defending our critical infrastructure and protecting Americans’ personal information.”

The legislation stems from a March incident wherein the Department of Justice announced an indictment of seven hackers connected to the Iranian government. The attacks were aimed at U.S. banks and a New York dam. The incident represented the first time the United States has charged state-sponsored individuals seeking to disrupt key domestic industries.

“Just last week, I met personally with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed deep concerns that Iran may use funds from the nuclear agreement to bolster its cyber capabilities,” Ratcliffe said. “This reinforced the necessity of using sanctions as a tool in deterring such destructive behavior that so greatly threatens our national security.”