Eric Geller

Eric Geller @ericgeller

The only notable Q seemed to be one from @RepBill Foster about whether USG could “take offensive action to shut down Russia’s access to the internet,” per lawmaker I talked to. The officials said they couldn’t discuss that in an unclassified setting. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

.@RepHoulahan told Maggie that she sensed lawmakers felt “powerless” watching the Russian invasion and wanted to do something. She said they can do that by staying vigilant against cyberattacks. “There is an increased risk right now for cyber shenanigans.” — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

After opening remarks, officials took Qs from lawmakers, but there were only 4-5, lawmaker told me, which is “atypical” for congressional briefings. “I got the sense there weren't that many people on” the call, this person said. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

The lawmaker I talked to said that during the call, Langevin and Katko agreed that “we've come a long way in terms of working together and building a better defensive apparatus.” — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

House lawmakers are scheduled to get a classified Ukraine briefing on Monday, and Langevin told Maggie that he’s going to ask about cyber threats there too. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Langevin told Maggie that he’d been impressed by CISA’s efforts to work with critical infrastructure companies to prepare for cyberattacks. “To the greatest extent possible, we are prepared,” he said. “It’s a time to be alert and on our game and be ready.” — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Langevin and Katko both praised Biden admin's cyber resilience preparations. “Katko was enormously complimentary of the executive agencies,” said the lawmaker who joined the call. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Biden officials also encouraged lawmakers to tell businesses in their districts to quickly alert the government about cyber incidents. Officials have consistently said that they need more information from the private sector to assemble a complete picture of the threat landscape. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Per this lawmaker: “They spent a lot of time talking about how we should all regard ourselves as pretty valuable targets, and family as well.” The briefers twice urged lawmakers to use multi-factor authentication. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

The administration briefers spent most of the call promoting CISA’s “Shields Up” site, which has a bunch of advice and resources for businesses. “They were just telling everybody to promote Shields Up,” the lawmaker on the call told me. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Briefers were @SecMayorkas, @CISAJen, FBI Director Chris Wray, and AG Merrick Garland. They delivered opening remarks, along with introductory comments by @SpeakerPelosi, @JimLangevin, and @RepJohnKatko. Mayorkas did most of the talking, per a lawmaker I talked to. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Biden admin officials briefed lawmakers tonight on their cyber resilience work amid Ukraine crisis. Hour-long call was largely uneventful, with requests to promote CISA’s guidance and pushes to use MFA. Story from @magmill95 and me: https://t.co/77sfiBwPHS — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@heathadelphia That's just gonna be my cabin — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Curious. https://t.co/lPvV5aLNvL — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

.@JRosenworcelFCC wants to launch an inquiry into BGP vulnerabilities, how they affect critical services, and how to fix them. BGP is the Google Maps of the internet but has been hijacked by China and others to intercept data. https://t.co/XZnpbHGbZw — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Expect the briefing to cover how CISA is coordinating with the "sector risk management agencies" responsible for various industries like energy, water, and comms. Improving this coordination has been a big priority for lawmakers. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

When I asked about current cyber threats related to the Ukraine crisis, the senior official said they weren't tracking any major activity yet. "What you are seeing, we are seeing," they told me. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

DHS, DOJ, FBI set to speak. DHS portion will cover the govt-wide "Unified Coordination Group" being run by CISA's Brandon Wales, along with what CISA is "asking industry to do" to prepare for possible threats, per sr official. They said not to expect any big reveals. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

House Dems are getting an admin briefing on domestic cyber resilience. A sr US official told me it's just an overview of what agencies are doing and how they're engaging w/ industry orgs. "We've asked organizations to lower thresholds for sharing information," official says. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

🔥🔥🔥 — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@HowellONeill @kevincollier @WilliamTurton @Bing_Chris oh I'm sorry is that your bit — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@snlyngaas @Bing_Chris @HowellONeill did you remember to take the Persistent Engagement Credit this year? TurboTax kinda hides it in the menus — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@HowellONeill @kevincollier @WilliamTurton @Bing_Chris a massive lack of nuance — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@blogfullofwords Congratulations! This is awesome. :) — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Absolutely right. We are so privileged to have never had to confront this kind of necessity, and pretending that it's perennially looming is insulting to those who are actually enduring it. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Another ransomware gang says it has Russia's back — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@supersat @burgessev truly an auspicious occasion — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

.@joetidy reports on "patriotic" Russian hackers attacking Ukraine to show their support for the Kremlin: https://t.co/hEuE0vSIDJ https://t.co/7i3v9z3twF — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@supersat @burgessev I had no idea all that was the same day as this! — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

never forget — PolitiTweet.org