From Congressman Alan Lowenthal’s office:

Following the closure of several US container terminals due to a recent cyberattack, Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Ted Poe (TX-02) have called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide a classified briefing to Congressional Members representing ports throughout the nation.

In the letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly, the Congressmen – both co-chairs of the PORTS Caucus – point out that the nation’s ports are critical components within the national freight network, accounting for over $4.5 trillion a year in economic activity. The Congressmen requested the briefing to help Congress better understand the scope of existing cybersecurity information sharing programs between DHS and critical infrastructure operators, such as port terminal operators.

“Our nation’s ports are the gateways to our national economy. We cannot leave them vulnerable to these cyberattacks

“We have to make sure that we use every tool at our disposal to prevent attacks at the heart of our economic infrastructure,” Lowenthal said. “Our federal security agencies have some of the best cybersecurity experts in the world, and these agencies should leverage that expertise to help prevent attacks on critical infrastructure like our ports.”

Read the full release at the Signal Tribune