After getting it passed by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee last week, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., got his “Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies (RANSOMWARE) Act” through the full House this week.
Bilirakis got the bill through the committee on a 53-0 vote. The full House passed his proposal without objection.
The bill “will strengthen the federal government’s efforts to respond to recent ransomware and other cyber-attacks from foreign adversaries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea” and “amend and update the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006, which first enabled cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies on international consumer protection issues, to require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report on cross-border complaints involving ransomware.”
“We have seen an increase in cyber-crimes against Americans. These incidents underscore the importance of fortifying and modernizing our critical infrastructure to prevent and respond to cyber-attacks,” Bilirakis said after getting his bill through the House. ”This is a matter of national security and we must do everything we can to protect all Americans from those who wish to do us harm.”
While Bilirakis introduced the bill in July 2021, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
