At a glance.
- FCC will roll back cybersecurity mandates enacted in the wake of Salt Typhoon.
- University of Pennsylvania investigates alleged breach.
- Alleged Jabber Zeus developer extradited to the US.
FCC will roll back cybersecurity mandates enacted in the wake of Salt Typhoon.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to roll back several cybersecurity regulations that were enacted in response to China's Salt Typhoon hacks against US telecoms, the Record reports. The rules were enacted days before Trump took office, using the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) to require telecoms to secure their systems against unlawful access.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the commission will vote to "reverse an eleventh-hour CALEA declaratory ruling reached by the prior FCC—a decision that both exceeded the agency’s authority and did not present an effective or agile response to the relevant cybersecurity threats." An FFC fact sheet published last week argues that the prior ruling "was legally erroneous and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity." The fact sheet says the FCC "should instead continue to pursue an agile and collaborative approach to cybersecurity through federal-private partnerships that protect and secure communications networks and more targeted, legally sound rulemaking and enforcement." The commission also says telecoms have voluntarily improved their security measures in the wake of the Salt Typhoon hacks.