WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), Co-Chairs of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), are urging the Biden administration to better protect the public health sector (HPH) from cyberthreats. In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra, King and Gallagher highlight the rapidly-increasing number of cyberattacks targeting healthcare, call for stronger collaborative action to address the growing threat, and request an urgent briefing from the administration on their current posture.
“The COVID-19 pandemic revealed systemic challenges facing the healthcare and public health (HPH) sector… For those of us working on issues of national cyber resilience, COVID-19 was accompanied by another epidemic – that of ransomware,” wrote CSC Co-Chairs Senator King and Congressman Gallagher. “Ransomware attacks on the HPH sector have skyrocketed in the past two years as opportunistic criminals recognized that hospitals may pay quickly to resolve issues and protect patient safety.”
“Against this backdrop, we were heartened to see the White House host an executive forum on healthcare…
