SANCTIONS ON HACKERS

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to sanction foreign hackers involved in attempts to target and steal research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act would allow the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals engaging in hacking activity that compromises economic and national security or public health and freeze any American assets of these individuals.

The bill also requires the secretary of State, in consultation with the director of national intelligence, to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s passage on “the extent of known cyber-enabled activities or attempted cyber-enabled activities” around COVID-19.

McCarthy said in a statement that Congress should take steps to protect American researchers working on a “Victory Vaccine” to combat COVID-19, vowing that the U.S. would share any vaccine it developed with the world.

“We have seen that other nations – like China – use this virus to exploit other countries for political advantages,” McCarthy said. “We refuse to allow our innovation to be exploited by China, Russia, or any other hackers. We are going to protect the cure from falling into the wrong hands so that no one can use it as leverage for their own malicious ends.”

He emphasized that “the stakes are too high for these significant cyber crimes to go unpunished. My legislation will hold these criminals accountable.”

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) proposed the addition of the bill to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday before the House was scheduled to vote on the overall legislation, arguing that foreign efforts to target COVID-19 research, particularly from Chinese actors, should not go unpunished.

“Americans are dying, China is hacking and we in Congress must act,” Green said. “Hacking American intellectual property will not be tolerated, especially when it jeopardizes the lives of Americans. If we can’t agree on punishing those who hack the heroes fighting for a cure for COVID, I don’t know what we can agree on.”

This attempt failed, with the House voting the bill down by a vote of 219-201, mostly along party lines.