Fearing Russian cyberattacks as reprisal for support of Ukraine, a bipartisan collection of senators wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week pushing for dedicated resources to aid private and public institutions.
Led by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), the group cited concerns that the extreme sanctions currently levied against Russia might induce it to lash out through cyber escalation – an area they said remains largely unexplored. Cyber support for public and private organizations could also help beyond the current national tensions in a world where cyber threats are becoming common and, often enough, devastating.
“Even beyond the current Russian-induced conflict, cyber threats are growing faster than our private, state, and local institutions can adapt to them,” the senators wrote. “From banks, hospitals, liquified natural gas terminals, bridges and roads, our institutions need to be informed and supported by the federal government in order to be prepared to absorb and rebuff offensive cyber operations by foreign adversaries.”
Currently, some questions exist over what measures are already being taken to combat these cyberattacks. In addition to their general call for support, the senators also asked for information on what the respective federal agencies have done to reduce cyber vulnerabilities throughout the United States and the state of institutions’ readiness if Russia launches a major cyber offensive. Specifically, they asked for a written assessment of all recent significant, malicious cumulative cyber activities from Russia or its proxies taken against U.S. institutions or reported by private entities.
“We must act now, with increased haste, before we find ourselves under a major retaliatory cyber offensive that causes extreme disruption in the lives of everyday Americans,” the senators wrote.
Participants in the letter also included U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN.), John Boozman (R-AK) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).