Rep. Torres introduces bill to strengthen coordination amongst port landlords, tenants in wake of recent cyber attack

In the wake of a massive cyberattack that led to the closure of the largest terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) said she would be reintroducing a bill that aims to improve coordination between port landlords and tenants to address various cyber-related threats.

Torres’ bill, the Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act, was previously introduced during the 114th Congress. While the bill did pass the House, the legislation was not ultimately considered by the Senate.

“The ongoing closure of the Port of LA’s largest terminal because of a cyber-attack shows the severe vulnerabilities in our nation’s security and the massive impact cyber threats pose to our local and national economy,” Torres said.

Torres said she developed her bill after a series of Congressional hearings revealed that there was little communication between port landlords and tenants regarding potential cyber vulnerabilities and that federal agencies weren’t properly taking into account the impacts of a cyberattack on the nation’s maritime infrastructure.

“I will be reintroducing the Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act, because it is clear that more needs to be done to protect our nation’s ports,” Torres said. “This most recent attack should serve as a call to action to address the clear vulnerabilities in our maritime security before those who wish to do us harm are able to engineer a truly debilitating attack.”

While Torres’ bill in the 114th Congress failed to gain Senate attention, subsequent legislation that funded the nation’s intelligence agencies included a provision that required a one-time report on cyber threats to ports. It did not, however, include any coordination provisions that Torres’ bill sought to address.