Legislation would establish group to enhance cybersecurity

Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would establish an interagency working group tasked with developing accountability metrics to enhance cybersecurity protocols and protecting federally-funded research and development activities from foreign interference, espionage, and exfiltration.

The bipartisan Secure American Research Act established the Secure Research Working Group coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Under the bill, the group would have the power to draft unified security policies, guidance, and best practices to protect taxpayer-funded research; develop strategies to defend against cyber-attacks and foreign espionage threatening federal research and development; and promote the ongoing coordination of information sharing between agencies, the private sector, and academia to better understand and address the threats from foreign espionage.

The bill authorizes the group to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities within the science and technology fields and to identify agency-based cybersecurity policies necessary to receive federal research funding.

Policies include creating a nonpublic, interagency database of researchers found to have fraudulently disclosed foreign interests and the acknowledgment of cyber policy and disclosure of foreign interests, investments, or involvement regarding federal research grants.

The bill was sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and co-sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).