Senate advances bill bolstering cybersecurity in public, private sector

The U.S. Senate advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) designed to enhance cybersecurity in the public and private sector.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act requires DHS to establish permanent authorization of cyber hunt and cyber incident response teams to help prevent cyberattacks at all levels of government and the private sector while mitigating the impact of attacks when they occur.

“Our cyber response teams play an important role in protecting against cyber threats, reducing cybersecurity risks and helping to get our cyber infrastructure back up and running after an attack occurs,” Portman said. “I am glad the Senate passed our bipartisan legislation and I hope we send it to the president’s desk soon so that we can strengthen our response efforts in the event of a cyberattack.”

The legislation also authorizes DHS to include private sector experts on the teams to capitalize on non-governmental cyber expertise. Local governments and other non-federal entities could request assistance from the teams in the event of an attack.

“As cyber threats become increasingly common, it is crucial that everyone from the federal government to local governments have the resources and support that they need to strengthen their cybersecurity,” Hassan said. “This legislation will allow the best minds in cybersecurity to work together to better protect our digital infrastructure and to respond to attacks.”

The bill now needs to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives before heading to the president’s desk.