US Congress Expands Cybersecurity Budget to Counter Threats from North Korea, China, and Russia

Expansion of Cybersecurity Agency Authority and Budget Ahead of November Presidential Election
Discussion on Reviving White House Cybersecurity Advisor Position Previously Abolished
Biden Cites North Korea, China, Russia as Suspects Behind Hacking of Obama Twitter Account

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Congress has significantly expanded the authority and budget of cybersecurity agencies in preparation for cyberattacks from North Korea, China, Russia, and others. This move is interpreted as a response to the expected sharp increase in cyberattack frequency from these countries ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. The revival of the White House cybersecurity advisor position, which was abolished two years ago, is also under consideration.

According to foreign media including Voice of America (VOA) on the 16th (local time), the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services Committees submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to Congress the day before, which expands the role and authority of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security. CISA will take on a central role in future cybersecurity operations, be responsible for consultations with the private sector, and be granted the authority to subpoena information related to national infrastructure that could be major targets of cyberattacks.

On the same day, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee announced an allocation of $2.25 billion (approximately 2.7112 trillion KRW) for CISA’s operating budget. This amount is $239 million more than the previous year and about $500 million more than the amount requested by CISA to Congress. The House Appropriations Committee stated, "In the face of cyber threats from adversaries such as North Korea, China, and Russia, we propose an increase in the budget to continuously enhance CISA’s cyber threat tracking capabilities."

The U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee also discussed the revival of the White House cybersecurity advisor position, which was abolished two years ago. This position coordinates national-level cyber strategies and policies and was eliminated in 2018 by former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton under the pretext of breaking bureaucratic inertia.

The reason the U.S. Congress is emphasizing strengthening cybersecurity is due to concerns that the frequency of cyberattacks from North Korea, China, Russia, and others will significantly increase around the November U.S. presidential election. The Associated Press reported that North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran are being cited as possible culprits behind recent Twitter account incidents targeting prominent U.S. Democratic politicians, including former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, and former President Barack Obama.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.