Lawmakers introduce bill for voluntary telecom cyber rules after Salt Typhoon hacks
Senators Mark Warner and Ted Cruz introduced the Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act, a bipartisan bill proposing voluntary cybersecurity standards for the telecom industry. The legislation follows the Salt Typhoon intrusions, in which Chinese hackers penetrated nearly every major U.S. telecommunications carrier.
Why this matters: Salt Typhoon was not a minor breach. Chinese hackers got inside the networks that carry American phone calls, texts, and internet traffic. That includes calls by government officials, journalists, and ordinary people who had no idea it was happening. The response so far is a voluntary bill. Voluntary means companies can ignore it. After an attack this broad, the gap between what happened and what Congress is actually requiring is worth paying attention to.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators · Lawyers · Compliance
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