Grassley Renews Call for Stronger U.S. Cyber Defense after Key Department Confirms Multi-Day Hack

Grassley Renews Call for Stronger U.S. Cyber Defense after Key Department Confirms Multi-Day Hack

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency "doesn't even have its own house in order"

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA - U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is doubling down on his calls to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity in a new oversight inquiry to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which recently revealed it suffered adays-long hack in January.

"Cybersecurity is extremely important today, and it'll be vital tomorrow. I've been conducting oversight of the departments with known cyber vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure, but now we're learning CISA - the agency whose sole responsibility is to protect U.S. cybersecurity - doesn't even have its own house in order. CISA's failure to safeguard its systems puts Americans at risk," Grassley said of hisletterto CISA Director Jen Easterly.

The January 23-26, 2024, attack on CISA affected its Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT) Ivanti Connect Secure appliance, causing "potential unauthorized access of Top-Screen surveys, Security Vulnerability Assessments, Site Security Plans, Personnel Surety Program (PSP) submissions, and CSAT user accounts." A reported breach of CISA's IP Gateway may have exposed sensitive information about U.S. infrastructure, too.

Grassley is demanding a slew of records regarding CISA's efforts to address these attacks. He's also asking how the agency assessed the damage and notified affected parties, as well as whether CISA was aware of Ivanti's vulnerabilities beforehand. CISA must additionally provide Grassley details on the materials to which the hackers had access and documents on its protocols for detecting and preventing cyberattacks.

Read Grassley's full letter HERE.

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