Tomorrow: Oversight Committee Holds Cyber Security Hearing Requested by Cummings

Apr 21, 2015
Press Release

Tomorrow: Oversight Committee Holds Cyber Security Hearing Requested by Cummings

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a full committee hearing titled, “Enhancing Cybersecurity of Third-Party Contractors and Vendors.”  Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings requested the hearing as part of his continued push for oversight of recent cyberattacks in the private and public sectors. Chairman Chaffetz agreed to Cummings’s proposal to hold the hearing during cyber week—April 20-24.

“The alarming increase of cyber-attacks in both the public and private sector poses a high risk to our nation’s economic security,” Cummings said.  “It is critical for Congress to ensure that businesses and federal agencies are adequately protecting our constituents from identity theft and a host of other cyber-crimes.  This hearing will examine security vulnerabilities and risks posed by third-party contractors and vendors to federal agencies.”

At the hearing, Cummings plans to ask the Office of Personnel Management for information about a data breach last summer at USIS—a contractor that conducted more background checks for the federal government than any other company.  The company’s CEO has repeatedly refused to answer questions from Committee Members.

“I am deeply concerned about whether USIS complied with requirements to properly secure the personal information of individuals applying for security clearances,” Cummings added.  “I also want to know if weaknesses in USIS’s IT systems spread to other subsidiaries of its holding company that also have contracts with the federal government.”

Over the past year, Cummings has pressed repeatedly for enhanced oversight of cyber-security measures in the private and public sectors and has requested information and hearings on data breaches at retail companies, financial institutions, healthcare corporations, government contractors, and federal agencies.

 

WHAT:                    Oversight Committee Hearing on Cyber Security

                 

WITNESSES:           Tony Scott, U.S. Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget

           Donna Seymour, Chief Information Officer, Office of Personnel Management

           Eric A. Fischer, Ph.D, Senior Specialist in Science and Technology, Congressional Research Service      

          Gregory C. Wilhusen, Director of Information Security Issues, Government Accountability Office

 

WHEN:                   Wednesday, April 22, 2015

         2:00 p.m. EST

 

WHERE:                 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

 

114th Congress