Warning of continuing threats to U.S. interests across cyberspace, House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul on Wednesday again urged the Senate to pass legislation intended to rename and reorganize the Department of Homeland Security’s primary cyber protection wing. The proposal, which the House passed in December, would streamline DHS’s primary operation currently overseeing the defense of federal networks and U.S. critical infrastructure from cyber threats, known as the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). The bill creates a stand-alone organization for that mission with a more logical name, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
“With each passing day, the cyber threats facing our homeland continue to grow,” the Texas Republican said in a statement Wednesday. “Cyber intruders, including nation states, hackers, and cybercriminals, are relentless in their pursuit to target our election and other critical infrastructure.”
Mr. McCaul noted that last week FBI Director Christopher Wray said the cyber threat “is not going away” and that Vice President Mike Pence also directly addressed the new CISA at a cybersecurity summit in New York last week.
Full Article: Michael McCaul presses Senate to pass critical bipartisan cyber and election security legislation – Washington Times.