In response to a recently reported cyberattack that targeted the nation’s nuclear facilities, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released a statement condemning the attack while reiterating a previous call for a cybersecurity assessment by the Trump Administration.
“The disturbing reports of the past 24 hours indicate that our adversaries are trying to take advantage of the very real vulnerabilities of our energy infrastructure’s cyber defenses,” Cantwell said.
Cantwell continued, stating that she would reiterate her call for President Trump to immediately perform the long overdue assessment of cyber vulnerabilities that 19 U.S. Senators requested and abandon the proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) office tasked with protecting the nation’s energy networks from cyber attacks.
In late June, a group of Democratic Senators, including Cantwell, sent a public letter to the Trump Administration that called for directing DOE to perform an examination of Russian capabilities to use cyber warfare to threaten energy infrastructure and the extent to which the Russians have already attempted cyber intrusions into the electric grid and associated energy facilities.
The June letter followed a previous public letter from Cantwell and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in March that demanded the Trump Administration take action on cyber threats to the nation’s energy infrastructure. Neither letter received a formal response from officials within the White House.
The investigation into the reported nuclear facility cyberattack remains ongoing.