Sen. Schatz, Rep. Pallone call for GAO review of cybersecurity in wake of reported FCC attack

In the wake of a reported cyberattack on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) electronic comment filing system, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently called upon the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an independent review on the attack and the general state of cybersecurity at the FCC.

On May 8, the commission announced that it was the victim of a possible distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which denies access to particular site or server due to improper bandwidth flooding of the targeted system.

According to the congressmen, the attacks may have prevented the public from accessing and commenting on the FCC’s website as it considers changes to current rules and regulations regarding net neutrality.

In addition to the attack, a number of fake comments have also been reported in the commission’s comment section which, according to the congressmen, undermines the future rule-making processes.

“While the FCC and the FBI have responded to Congressional inquiries into these DDos attacks, they have not released any records or documentation that would allow for confirmation that an attack occurred, that it was effectively dealt with, and that the FCC has begun to institute measures to thwart future attacks and ensure the security of its systems,” the congressmen wrote. “As a result, questions remain about the attack itself and more generally about the state of cybersecurity at the FCC – questions that warrant an independent review.”

GAO has yet to formally respond to the request.