Lowenthal, Poe call for port security briefing

Chairs of the House PORTS Caucus – Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Ted Poe (TX-02) – sent a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly to get a classified understanding on the country’s ports’ cyber protection plans.    Two U.S. Congressmen on Wednesday called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide a classified briefing to Congressional members representing ports throughout the nation following the closure of several U.S. container terminals due a recent cyberattack that initially affected liner shipping giant Maersk.
   In a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly, Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Ted Poe (TX-02) – both co-chairs of the PORTS Caucus – noted that U.S. ports are critical components within the national freight network, accounting for over $4.5 trillion a year in economic activity.
   “Over a quarter of the U.S. economy depends on goods moving through our seaports,” the chairmen said in a statement. “A shutdown of just one terminal for even single day can have significant economic impact, amounting to tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.”
   The cyberattack was initially thought to be a ransomware virus impacting Maersk’s liner, container terminal, and freight forwarding operations. It halted operations at 17 container terminals operated by Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals, including terminals at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of New York/New Jersey – two of the largest in the United States.
   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.
   “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.”
   The more than 100-Member PORTS Caucus was developed to promote the importance of U.S. ports with regard to the nation’s economy, and the need to secure them by promoting dialogue between Congress, the administration and relevant federal agencies, as well as important industry officials.