Tampa Republic

Today, House Homeland Security Committee Republicans introduced legislation to address cyber threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeting critical infrastructure. Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) spearheaded the bill, which aims to create an interagency task force led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This task force will focus on cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored cyber actors linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including Volt Typhoon.

The proposed legislation mandates that the task force provide Congress with a classified report and briefing annually for five years. These reports will cover findings, conclusions, and recommendations related to malicious CCP cyber activities. The bill is cosponsored by Committee Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), and Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI).

Representative Lee emphasized the need for a coordinated federal response: “The CCP, acting through Volt Typhoon and other threat actors, has made a concerted effort to pre-position itself within our networks in order to target and compromise the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day—from the transportation and water sectors to the energy sector. While individual agencies have worked to examine and address the threats posed by malign cyber actors like Volt Typhoon, a siloed approach to cybersecurity will only give our adversaries the upper hand. It is critical that the federal government implements a focused, coordinated, and whole-of-government response to all of Beijing’s cyber threats so no other actors succeed.”

Chairman Green highlighted past oversights: “The threat actor ‘Volt Typhoon’ remained undetected and undeterred in our networks for far too long. The discovery of the new actor ‘Flax Typhoon’ further demonstrates the CCP’s unabashed commitment to infiltrating our critical infrastructure. While intrusions from threat actors like the Typhoons create a dangerous opportunity for espionage, we know they could also serve as open doors for the CCP to manipulate or thwart crucial services Americans rely on in case of escalation in the Indo-Pacific. Now is the time to address this threat China poses in cyberspace.”

Chairman Moolenaar recalled recent revelations: “At our Select Committee hearing earlier this year, FBI Director Wray broke news that state-affiliated Chinese hackers known collectively as Volt Typhoon had infiltrated American critical infrastructure and installed malware capable of launching a cyber-attack at their discretion. I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation alongside Rep. Laurel Lee that will help protect the American people.”