WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and co-founder of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to roll back cybersecurity regulations put in place following Salt Typhoon, the worst telecommunications cyberattack in our nation’s history:

“In the aftermath of the worst telecommunications compromise in our nation’s history, today’s vote by the FCC walks back yet another effort to set meaningful, enforceable cybersecurity standards for America’s communications backbone, after congressional Republicans overturned cybersecurity rules set by the FCC in 2017.

“The Salt Typhoon intrusion made clear that existing voluntary measures alone have not been sufficient to prevent sophisticated, state-sponsored actors from gaining long-term, covert access to critical networks. While collaboration with industry is essential, it must be paired with clear, enforceable expectations that reflect the scale of the threat.

“I am concerned that abandoning an enforceable, standards-based approach in favor of undefined ‘flexible’ solutions leaves us without a credible plan to address the gaps exposed by Salt Typhoon, including basic failures like credential reuse and the absence of multi-factor authentication for highly privileged accounts.

“Congress, the administration, and the FCC should be moving toward greater transparency and stronger protections, not less. I will continue pressing for a comprehensive national strategy to ensure that our telecommunications infrastructure is resilient against the kinds of intrusions we know are not hypothetical, but ongoing.”

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