Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Digital literacy is widely seen as an essential skill. But Americans’ understanding of digital topics varies notably depending on the subject. For example, majorities of US adults know what cookies on websites do and can identify a secure password.

The White House convened a roundtable with civil society leaders, researchers, and policymakers on how the data broker industry monetizes personal information and actions the Biden Administration is taking to address potential harms to American consumers. The session was hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Economic Council, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice.

We write to request information about the security risks posed by cellular connectivity modules provided by companies subject to the jurisdiction, direction, or control of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Connectivity modules are components that enable Internet of Things (IoT) devices—from cars to medical equipment to tractors—to connect to the internet. Connectivity modules are typically controlled remotely and are the necessary link between the device and the internet.

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public comment on a proposal to create a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program that would provide consumers with clear information about the security of their internet-enabled devices, commonly called “Internet of Things” (IoT) or “smart” devices.

As states draft their initial proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is striving to help broadband offices tackle the cybersecurity aspect of the BEAD guidelines. Essentially, states must verify the vendors and suppliers to whom they award contracts have “adequate” cybersecurity and supply chain risk management (C/SCRM) plans.

This first-of-its-kind comprehensive approach is aimed at addressing both immediate and long-term cyber workforce needs. Filling the hundreds of thousands of cyber job vacancies across our nation is a national security imperative and the Administration is making generational investments to prepare our country to lead in the digital economy.

Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) introduced the Anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Espionage via Social Media (ACES) to counter the national security threat posed by the Chinese platform TikTok. This bill forces TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest all its assets in America. This bill:

President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Harry Coker, Jr. for National Cyber Director. Coker is a senior national security leader with more than four decades of public service, including in leadership positions in the US Navy, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and National Security Agency (NSA). From 2017 to 2019, Coker served as the Executive Director of the NSA, where he helped lead and manage the largest component of the US Intelligence Community, and prior to that, as the Director of Open Source Enterprise in the CIA’s Directorate of Digital Innovation.

Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI are committing to:

Ready or not, the Federal Communications Commission’s program to “rip and replace” suspect network technology is coming. And one trade association representing smaller carriers says there isn’t enough funding to do the job, and that means there could be ripping without replacing that puts some areas of the U.S.