Rep. Ratcliffe introduces bill to modernize DHS’s continuous diagnostics mitigation program

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced legislation in the House this week to modernize the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation (CDM) program.

Specifically, the Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act will codify CDM at the DHS.

“CDM is a critical component of our national cybersecurity strategy. Supporting DHS Under Secretary (Christopher) Krebs’ effective deployment and ongoing improvement of CDM at NPPD is a top priority of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee,” Ratcliffe, chairman of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee on the House Homeland Security Committee, said.

The goal of the bill is to boost the long-term success of the CDM program by making sure it keeps pace with innovative capabilities in the private sector. This will help ensure that CDM continues to evolve and adjust to the changing cyber threat landscape. It will also require DHS to develop procedures for reporting systemic cybersecurity risks and potential incidents based on data collected under CDM.

“At the end of the day, cybersecurity is national security – and that means we’ve got to ensure we’re addressing the dangers at our digital borders through risk-based, cost-effective strategies enabled by programs like CDM. I’m hopeful for the strong support of our bill to back this important mission, as the cyber threats we face continue to evolve,” Ratcliffe said.