A Look Inside Congress’ Biggest Cyber Bill Ever

With the imminent passage of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress is set to approve what Senator Angus King (I-ME) calls “the most important piece of cybersecurity legislation ever passed.” The bill contains a remarkable 26 out of 34 legislative measures proposed by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that King co-chaired, most notably language creating the position of national cyber director.

Enhancements to CISA include subpoena authority to obtain contact information from internet service providers when unidentified infrastructure operators are found to have security vulnerabilities, and a non-Solarium measure for CISA to hire a cybersecurity director for each state. President Trump has threatened to veto the bill if it doesn’t revoke the social media legal shield, known as Section 230. It’s unclear if he will carry out his threat, as the bill is likely to pass with veto-proof majorities.