[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 206 (Tuesday, November 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6690-H6691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN CYBERSECURITY LITERACY ACT
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4055) to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4055
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``American Cybersecurity
Literacy Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the United States has
a national security and economic interest in promoting
cybersecurity literacy amongst the general public.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF CYBERSECURITY LITERACY CAMPAIGN.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall develop and
conduct a cybersecurity literacy campaign (which shall be
available in multiple languages and formats, if practicable)
to increase the knowledge and awareness of the American
people of best practices to reduce cybersecurity risks.
(b) Campaign.--To reduce cybersecurity risks, the Assistant
Secretary shall--
(1) educate the American people on how to prevent and
mitigate cyberattacks and cybersecurity risks, including by--
(A) instructing the American people on how to identify--
(i) phishing emails and messages; and
(ii) secure websites;
(B) instructing the American people about the benefits of
changing default passwords on hardware and software
technology;
(C) encouraging the use of cybersecurity tools, including--
(i) multi-factor authentication;
(ii) complex passwords;
(iii) anti-virus software;
(iv) patching and updating software and applications; and
(v) virtual private networks;
(D) identifying the devices that could pose possible
cybersecurity risks, including--
(i) personal computers;
(ii) smartphones;
(iii) tablets;
(iv) Wi-Fi routers;
(v) smart home appliances;
(vi) webcams;
(vii) internet-connected monitors; and
(viii) any other device that can be connected to the
internet, including mobile devices other than smartphones and
tablets;
(E) encouraging Americans to--
(i) regularly review mobile application permissions;
(ii) decline privilege requests from mobile applications
that are unnecessary;
(iii) download applications only from trusted vendors or
sources; and
(iv) consider a product's life cycle and the developer or
manufacturer's commitment to providing security updates
during a connected device's expected period of use; and
(F) identifying the potential cybersecurity risks of using
publicly available Wi-Fi networks and the methods a user may
utilize to limit such risks; and
(2) encourage the American people to use resources to help
mitigate the cybersecurity risks identified in this
subsection.
(c) Assistant Secretary Defined.--In this section, the term
``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Communications and Information.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4055.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4055, the American
Cybersecurity Literacy Act. Cybersecurity threats targeting Americans
are increasingly common, particularly since wireless devices
proliferate our society.
H.R. 4055, the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, is intended to
help Americans arm themselves with the information and tools they need
to prevent being a victim of a cyberattack. The bipartisan legislation
requires the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to
create and conduct a cybersecurity campaign to increase the knowledge
and awareness of best practices to avoid cyberattacks.
The bill also requires the campaign to, among other things, provide
instructions about how to identify common problematic attacks like
phishing emails and unsecure websites. The campaign will also highlight
the benefits of changing default passwords and encouraging the use of
cybersecurity tools like multifactor identification and complex
passwords.
Finally, to ensure that as many Americans as possible can benefit
from this information, the legislation requires the campaign to be in
as many languages and formats as practicable.
This legislation will arm the American people with critical
information that they need to ensure they are not the victim of a
cyberattack. It is important to note that by passing this bill we are
not shifting the burden of preventing cybersecurity attacks away from
large, sophisticated companies and onto individuals. Companies still
have the primary responsibility of preventing these attacks, and there
is still
[[Page H6691]]
much work to do, but this legislation adds additional layers of
protection by giving consumers the tools and information to protect
themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud Representatives Kinzinger, Eshoo,
Veasey, Houlahan, and Bilirakis for their work on this important
bipartisan bill that continues our work of protecting consumers. I urge
my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4055, the American
Cybersecurity Literacy Act, which was introduced by Representatives
Kinzinger and Eshoo.
The Cybersecurity Solarium Commission identified cyber hygiene as a
key challenge affecting our readiness as a country. As many
cybersecurity professionals will attest, there are common steps that
Americans can take to prevent disruption to networks and the theft of
personal information.
This legislation directs the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration to establish a cybersecurity literacy
campaign to educate Americans on cybersecurity risks and best practices
to reduce those risks. By increasing awareness of the simple steps that
can be taken every day, we can reduce cybersecurity incidents. I urge
my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, again, this is a very important piece of legislation. I
have had about seven different cybersecurity events with the FBI in my
district for my constituents. One of the things that they have always
stressed is good hygiene, and over 80 percent is good hygiene, to
prevent these cybersecurity attacks.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support again for the bipartisan
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4055, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
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