The Cybersecurity 202: White House blocking Congress from auditing its offensive hacking strategy

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2019/09/25/the-cybersecurity-202-white-house-blocking-congress-from-auditing-its-offensive-hacking-strategy/5d8a430788e0fa6261fefdce/

By Joseph Marks
The Washington Post
September 25, 2019

The Trump administration is blocking Congress from auditing a secret hacking 
policy it has already used for cyberattacks on Russia and Iran -- stonewalling 
that lawmakers say raises the risks of a dangerous misfire that could make 
cyberspace less secure.

The policy, which loosened the reins on military strikes against U.S. 
adversaries, has been withheld for more than a year from lawmakers -- even 
those who regularly review classified material. Lawmakers from both parties are 
concerned the Trump administration could plunge the country into a cyberwar 
without congressional approval or oversight, or at the very least, provoke 
retaliation that causes serious damage at home.

“Congress needs to understand what that guidance is so we can ensure we are 
properly understanding how far this goes and what the parameters are,” Rep. Jim 
Langevin (D-R.I.), told me. “We need to...do our job and make sure the 
government is properly executing these authorities.”

Langevin, who leads House Armed Services Committee's cybersecurity panel, is 
part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that's been sending letters to the 
White House since February demanding the classified memo that outlines the 
muscular new hacking policy.

[...]

--
Subscribe to InfoSec News
https://www.infosecnews.org/subscribe-to-infosec-news/
https://twitter.com/infosecnews_