Tag: Biden Department of Homeland Security

DHS to issue first cybersecurity regulations for pipelines after Colonial hack

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Two directives will seek oversight of the industry after a ransomware attack upended gas availability in the Southeast for 11 days

The Department of Homeland Security is moving to regulate cybersecurity in the pipeline industry for the first time in an effort to prevent a repeat of a major computer attack that crippled nearly half the East Coast’s fuel supply this month — an incident that highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to online attacks.

The Transportation Security Administration, a DHS unit, will issue a security directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents to federal authorities, senior DHS officials said. It will follow up in coming weeks with a more robust set of mandatory rules for how pipeline companies must safeguard their systems against cyberattacks and the steps they should take if they are hacked, the officials said. The agency has offered only voluntary guidelines in the past.

The ransomware attack that led Colonial Pipeline to shutter its pipeline for 11 days this month prompted gasoline shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States, including in the nation’s capital. Had it gone on much longer, it could have affected airlines, mass transit and chemical refineries that rely on diesel fuel. Colonial’s chief executive has said the company paid $4.4 million to foreign hackers to release its systems. Continue reading.

By Blocking Biden’s DHS Nominee, Hawley Is Picking a Bigger Fight over Immigration

Alexander Mayorkas is eminently qualified to lead the rudderless department, but objections over policy have delayed his confirmation.

Of all the agencies and departments damaged during the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security sustained perhaps the greatest and most prolonged assault. It has been nearly two years since the department had a Senate-confirmed secretary (Kirstjen Nielson), so it would stand to reason that senators would be anxious to confirm a nominee to bring order and legitimacy to that post. But already some Republicans are balking at confirming President Biden’s choice, Alejandro Mayorkas. Sen. Josh Hawley objected to bringing Mayorkas’ nomination to a quick vote, which required unanimous consent, and several Republican senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voiced concerns about Mayorkas during confirmation hearings this week.

This is an amazing turn of events given Mayorkas’ background: He’s been a federal prosecutor and deputy director of the Department as well as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, having been previously confirmed by the Senate three times. He is also an immigrant, who knows from personal experience the privilege of citizenship. His parents fled communism in Cuba, bringing him to America as a child, where he learned first-hand the opportunity this country offers, in President Reagan’s words, “to anyone with the will and heart to get here.”

But Mayorkas the man is not the actual target of senators like Hawley, though they may try to tarnish him personally to achieve their objectives. Their opposition is to the Biden administration’s vision for a new era in immigration policy and enforcement. Even Sen. Hawley has admitted as much, saying, “Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures.” Translation: After four years of the Trump administration’s cruelty, incompetence, and disregard for the equal protection of the law, the Biden administration’s plan is thoughtful, measured, and in line with the values for which this nation is known. And Hawley can’t stand it. Continue reading.