Lawmakers roll out bill to protect critical infrastructure after Florida water hack

A group of bipartisan House lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation intended to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks in the wake of an unsuccessful hack of a Florida water treatment facility.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Industrial Control Systems Enhancement Act, spearheaded by House Homeland Security Committee ranking member John Katko (R-N.Y.), would give more authority to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to protect critical systems against attacks.

Lawmakers rolled the bill out a month after officials in Oldsmar, Fla., announced that a hacker has unsuccessfully attempted to tamper with systems at the town’s water treatment facility to poison the water.