U.S. Senators Propose Voluntary Telecom Cybersecurity Standards After Salt Typhoon Campaign
Summary
Sens. Mark Warner and Ted Cruz introduced a bill that would establish a government-industry group to develop voluntary telecom cybersecurity practices and an optional certification process, following the Salt Typhoon campaign.
Key points
- The proposed Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act is backed by Sens. Mark Warner and Ted Cruz.
- The bill would establish a telecom cybersecurity working group within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
- The group would develop voluntary, industry-wide practices within 18 months of the bill’s passage.
- The proposed practices would be reviewed every two years or after major incidents and would address cybersecurity incidents and vulnerabilities.
- The proposal includes an optional certification process using independent third-party assessors.
- The article says federal officials have blamed the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign for attacks on major telecom carriers and data theft; officials warn the group remains a threat.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Bipartisan legislation introduced to strengthen telecommunications cybersecurity following the Salt Typhoon campaign.
- Impact
- The proposed Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act would establish a government-industry working group to develop voluntary telecom cybersecurity best practices within 18 months and create an optional certification process. The article reports that Salt Typhoon compromised major U.S. telecom carriers and siphoned data from presidential campaigns and candidates.
People
Mark WarnerVirginia senator and top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee; introducing the Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act with Ted Cruz.Ted CruzTexas senator and chairman of the Commerce, Science and Technology panel; introducing the Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act with Mark Warner.