Dems seek briefing on Iranian cyber threats

The Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday requested briefings from two key federal agencies on efforts to secure the nation’s telecommunications against potential Iranian cyberattacks, as another House committee also put the spotlight on Iranian cyber threats.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), the chair of the subcommittee on communications and technology, sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking for briefings on what steps have been taken to “warn telecommunications providers of potential cyberattacks on critical communications networks and how the providers should prepare for and defend against such attacks.”

Congressional concern over potential cyberattacks from Iran have spiked this month after President Trump ordered the targeting and killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Iran is widely regarded to be among the most dangerous threats to the U.S. in cyberspace alongside Russia, North Korea, and China. According to the most recent Worldwide Threat Assessment put out by former Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, Iran has the ability to cause “temporary disruptive effects” on U.S. infrastructure through a cyberattack.

DHS issued a bulletin last week warning of Iran’s ability to attack the U.S. in cyberspace, and separately sent a bulletin to law enforcement in conjunction with the FBI noting their belief that Iran would attempt to target the U.S. through a cyberattack.