Shaheen, Senators Request Information from FBI, CISA on Reports of Russian Cyberattack against the U.S. Government

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Thune (R-SD), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) – leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation – requested a government-wide report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on the extent of a supply chain cyberattack on the U.S. Government carried out by alleged Russian threat actors.

On Dec. 13, 2020, Reuters reported an alarming cyberattack campaign organized by Russian actors had breached multiple federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department. 

The Senators requested FBI Director Christopher Wray and CISA Acting Director Brandon Wales to supply them with available information on the scope of the attack, details on exposed vulnerability in the U.S. Federal Government and the agencies’ responses to the attack.

“The activities of the Department of Commerce, and one of its components that was impacted, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, play a crucial role in the daily lives of all Americans, and compromising its efforts is of grave concern,” the Senators wrote. “However, the possible implications reach far beyond the specific federal agency jurisdiction of the Committees, including the private sector, and as such, we respectfully request complete and appropriately detailed answers to the following questions.”

The full letter can be found here.