Reps. Andy BarrAndy BarrHillicon Valley: Facebook removed over 22 million posts for hate speech in second quarter | Republicans introduce bill to defend universities against hackers targeting COVID-19 research | Facebook’s Sandberg backs Harris as VP pick Republicans introduce bill to defend universities conducting coronavirus research against hackers The Hill’s Campaign Report: The political heavyweights in Tuesday’s primary fights MORE (R-Ky.) and Frank LucasFrank Dean LucasThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says country needs to rethink what ‘policing’ means; US cases surpass 2 million with no end to pandemic in sight Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers demand answers on Chinese COVID hacks | Biden re-ups criticism of Amazon | House Dem bill seeks to limit microtargeting Lawmakers ask for briefings on Chinese targeting of coronavirus research MORE (R-Okla.) on Tuesday introduced legislation intended to defend universities conducting COVID-19 research against foreign malicious hackers.
The legislation would require the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce to create guidance and send other resources to help universities and institutions conducting coronavirus research defend themselves.
The bill’s introduction came after months of reported foreign targeting of groups conducting COVID-19 research, including Russian and Chinese hackers, as pressure mounts to produce vaccines and treatments for the virus.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lucas, who serves as ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, described the bill as a “simple but strong way to protect American research and support the fight against COVID-19.”
“We’ve seen disturbing evidence of state-sponsored cyberattacks from the Chinese Communist Party directed at universities and organizations conducting vital research on combating COVID-19,” he said. “This compromises our research efforts and delays our ability to identify vaccines and treatments.”
Lucas said that NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework, which would be the baseline of the guidance for universities as required by the legislation, “is the gold standard for cyber protection, and tailoring these guidelines for academia and research institutions will keep our data safe from theft and manipulation by foreign actors.”
Barr, who is a member of the China Task Force launched by House Republicans earlier this year, said in a separate statement that “Congress must act to safeguard critical scientific Coronavirus research being conducted at universities nationwide.”
“My bill would have the Director of National Institute of Standards and Technology put forth guidance to preserve COVID-19 research and greatly reduce the threat of cyberattacks,” he added. “This includes providing best practices and guidelines that will protect our national security.”
Click Here: camiseta river plate
ADVERTISEMENT
House Republicans have attempted to address the issue of foreign targeting of COVID-19 research in recent weeks by including $53 million for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to defend coronavirus vaccine development against hackers, among other cyber initiatives, in a proposed coronavirus stimulus package.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyGOP leaders go into attack mode against Harris Republicans introduce bill to defend universities conducting coronavirus research against hackers Bipartisan senators ask congressional leadership to extend census deadline MORE (R-Calif.) also introduced legislation last month that would sanction foreign hackers targeting and stealing COVID-19 research.
These efforts come after the FBI and CISA issued a joint alert in May warning that Chinese government-backed hackers were targeting groups conducting COVID-19 research. More recently, the U.S., the United Kingdom and Canada put out a separate alert warning that a Russian hacking group was targeting COVID-19 research in all three countries.