Senators introduce bill to bolster cyberattack alarm system

A bipartisan pair of senators on Wednesday introduced legislation that would codify, and expand, the Homeland Security Department’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program that helps federal agencies protect their networks.

The Advancing Cybersecurity Through Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Act from Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) would make CDM — which began in 2012 and is run by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — permanent.

It would also require DHS to develop a strategy for the effort and deploy new technologies as digital threats evolve.

In addition, the proposed bill mandates the department create a pilot program to make the federal government cyberattack alarm system’s capabilities available to state and local governments.

The measure “will help the federal government stay on top of emerging cyber threats, as well as provide critical resources to state and local governments to help strengthen their defenses,” Hassan, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s emerging threats subpanel, said in a statement.

Cornyn, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said cyberattacks on government systems are “increasing in frequency and sophistication, so updating the programs and tools federal agencies use to thwart these attempts is critical.”