[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7115-H7116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REPORTING ATTACKS FROM NATIONS SELECTED FOR OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING
WEB ATTACKS AND RANSOMWARE FROM ENEMIES ACT
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4551) to amend the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 to provide for
reporting with respect to cross-border complaints involving ransomware
or other cyber-related attacks, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4551
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 ``Reporting Attacks from
Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and
Ransomware from Enemies Act'' or the ``RANSOMWARE Act''.
SEC. 2. RANSOMWARE AND OTHER CYBER-RELATED ATTACKS.
Section 14 of the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 (Public Law
109-455; 120 Stat. 3382) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
(A) by striking ``Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act,'' and inserting ``Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of the Reporting Attacks
from Nations Selected for Oversight and Monitoring Web
Attacks and Ransomware from Enemies Act, and every 2 years
thereafter,''; and
(B) by inserting ``, with respect to the 2-year period
preceding the date of the report (or, in the case of the
first report transmitted under this section after the date of
the enactment of the Reporting Attacks from Nations Selected
for Oversight and Monitoring Web Attacks and Ransomware from
Enemies Act, the 1-year period preceding the date of the
report)'' after ``include'';
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(3) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) the number and details of cross-border complaints
received by the Commission that involve ransomware or other
cyber-related attacks--
``(A) that were committed by individuals located in foreign
countries or with ties to foreign countries; and
``(B) that were committed by companies located in foreign
countries or with ties to foreign countries.''.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON RANSOMWARE AND OTHER CYBER-RELATED ATTACKS
BY CERTAIN FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS, COMPANIES, AND
GOVERNMENTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the
Federal Trade Commission shall transmit to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate a report describing its use of and experience with the
authority granted by the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 (Public
Law 109-455) and the amendments made by such Act. The report
shall include the following:
(1) The number and details of cross-border complaints
received by the Commission (including which such complaints
were acted upon and which such complaints were not acted
upon) that relate to incidents that were committed by
individuals, companies, or governments described in
subsection (b), broken down by each type of individual, type
of company, or government described in a paragraph of such
subsection.
(2) The number and details of cross-border complaints
received by the Commission (including which such complaints
were acted upon and which such complaints were not acted
upon) that involve ransomware or other cyber-related attacks
that were committed by individuals, companies, or governments
described in subsection (b), broken down by each type of
individual, type of company, or government described in a
paragraph of such subsection.
(3) A description of trends in the number of cross-border
complaints received by the Commission that relate to
incidents that were committed by individuals, companies, or
governments described in subsection (b), broken down by each
type of individual, type of company, or government described
in a paragraph of such subsection.
(4) Identification and details of foreign agencies
(including foreign law enforcement agencies (as defined in
section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C.
44))) located in Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran with
which the Commission has cooperated and the results of such
cooperation, including any foreign agency enforcement action
or lack thereof.
(5) A description of Commission litigation, in relation to
cross-border complaints described in paragraphs (1) and (2),
brought in foreign courts and the results of such litigation.
(6) Any recommendations for legislation that may advance
the mission of the Commission in carrying out the U.S. SAFE
WEB Act of 2006 and the amendments made by such Act.
(7) Any recommendations for legislation that may advance
the security of the United States and United States companies
against ransomware and other cyber-related attacks.
(8) Any recommendations for United States citizens and
United States businesses to implement best practices on
mitigating ransomware and other cyber-related attacks.
(b) Individuals, Companies, and Governments Described.--The
individuals, companies, and governments described in this
subsection are the following:
(1) An individual located within Russia or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the Russian Federation.
(2) A company located within Russia or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the Russian Federation.
(3) The Government of the Russian Federation.
(4) An individual located within China or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the People's Republic of
China.
(5) A company located within China or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the People's Republic of
China.
(6) The Government of the People's Republic of China.
(7) An individual located within North Korea or with direct
or indirect ties to the Government of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea.
(8) A company located within North Korea or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea.
(9) The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea.
(10) An individual located within Iran or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.
(11) A company located within Iran or with direct or
indirect ties to the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.
(12) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) 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. 4551.
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. 4551, the RANSOMWARE
Act.
Ransomware and cyberattacks by foreign actors are an unfortunate
reality of the modern world, and the United States must be as prepared
as possible to address them.
In 2006, Congress passed the SAFE WEB Act to bolster the Federal
Trade Commission's authority to receive information from its foreign
counterparts and take investigative action in response.
FTC action is critical since the number of consumer complaints
against foreign businesses is staggering, with over 255,000 complaints
submitted to the FTC's database between 2015 and 2019. The estimated
dollar value of losses from just these submitted complaints is in the
hundreds of millions of dollars.
H.R. 4551 amends the SAFE WEB Act by adding important new FTC
reporting requirements. The legislation requires the FTC to provide
regular reports to Congress describing cross-border complaints it
receives that involve ransomware and other cyberattacks by foreign
individuals, companies, and governments with ties to specific
countries.
This bill also boosts the FTC's role in protecting consumers from
ransomware and cyberattacks by helping the FTC and Congress better
understand these attacks and how to combat them. It also requires the
FTC to submit any legislative recommendations
[[Page H7116]]
to advance our Nation's security against these types of attacks. This
information is crucial in our continued efforts to address this serious
issue.
Mr. Speaker, protecting Americans and our businesses against
cyberattacks from malicious foreign actors is not a partisan issue, and
that is why members of the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously
supported this bill, and why I strongly support it today.
I thank Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Ranking Member
Bilirakis for his tireless efforts on this legislation, and I urge
everyone to support this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation by
Representative Bilirakis, the RANSOMWARE Act.
H.R. 4551 amends the U.S. SAFE WEB Act, a tool the Federal Trade
Commission uses to protect consumers with an international dimension,
which includes increasing cooperation with foreign law enforcement.
This bill quite simply requires the FTC to report on cross-border
complaints they receive involving ransomware or other cybersecurity-
related incidents committed by our foreign adversaries, China, Russia,
North Korea and Iran.
I am sure we all have stories from our districts. For example, a
researcher recently located a host in Georgia that could possibly be
connected to a Russian host with exploitation tools that are connected
to ransomware.
With the increase in these attacks, I am glad to see this legislation
under consideration today, which will help Congress, the Federal Trade
Commission, and other law enforcement entities better understand these
attacks and learn how to better combat them.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
{time} 1630
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may
consume to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers), a member of
the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 4551, the RANSOMWARE Act.
Every sector of our economy can be targeted by bad actors seeking to
exploit vulnerabilities in software and networks. Last year, we saw a
significant increase in ransomware attacks from groups operating out of
and affiliated with foreign countries like China and Russia.
This legislation builds on my SAFE WEB Extension Act, which was
enacted last Congress, and amends it to include ransomware in its
international reporting and cooperation. This will help protect
Americans from ransomware and other cyberattacks from foreign actors.
Just a few months ago, the U.S. learned that hackers for the Chinese
Communist Party had breached major telecommunications companies and
network service providers to steal credentials and harvest data. What
the CCP will do with this information, no one knows. If their intent is
ransom or to use it to extort Americans, this bill will help us better
understand and combat these attacks.
We will achieve this by requiring the FTC to report on cross-border
complaints involving ransomware, or other cybersecurity-related
incidents, committed by foreign adversaries. This will help safeguard
critical industries from countries like China, Russia, North Korea,
Iran, and others that may wish to harm us.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Subcommittee on
Consumer Protection and Commerce (Mr. Bilirakis) for his work on H.R.
4551, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may
consume to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia
(Mr. Carter) for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4551, the RANSOMWARE Act. This
important legislation will help protect consumers and businesses from
ransomware and cyberattacks.
Almost every day, there are reports of foreign bad actors using
ransomware to attack companies, hospital systems, law enforcement
agencies, schools, and municipalities.
Last year, the largest meat processing company in the world, JBS,
which has a meat processing plant in my district, was hacked by a
Russian-led cybercriminal organization. These hackers threatened to
delete the company's internal files unless a ransom was paid. JBS was
forced to halt processing operations at over a dozen plants, causing
the price of meat to rise and impacting economies across the globe.
We have also seen this in our municipalities and schools in Iowa,
prompting us in the State legislature to enact legislation addressing
ransomware attacks.
This particular legislation will help avoid attacks like these by
focusing resources to better understand the threat posed by attacks
from our foreign adversaries in China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bill, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to stress how important this
bill is. We have heard from the speakers on the Republican side, and I
certainly agree with everything they have said about the increased
ransomware and cyberattacks by foreign actors and bad actors like
Beijing and Russia and some of the others that have been mentioned. It
is really important that we pass this bill to protect the United
States.
Mr. Speaker, 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. 4551.
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 yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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