U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wants Colonial Pipeline and CNA Financial to disclose the decision-making processes that led them to pay cryptocurrency to recover data from ransomware attackers.
In letters sent to the firms Thursday, Maloney asked for documents outlining how these victims decided to pay the perpetrators, any documents or communications received from the attackers, whether any government agencies provided input and whether the firms checked to ensure they didn’t violate sanctions.
“I am extremely concerned that the decision to pay international criminal actors sets a dangerous precedent that will put an even bigger target on the back of critical infrastructure going forward,” the chair of the House Oversight Committee said in a statement.
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In the letters, Maloney asks for “all responsive documents” that detail how the attack was discovered, whether the companies sought external consultation about paying the ransoms and documents detailing the decryption tools provided by the attackers. She set a June 17 deadline, giving the companies two weeks to gather these materials.
The letters come as another high-profile firm, global meat producer JBS, begins recovering from a ransomware attack that occurred over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the committee did not immediately return a request for further comment about the focus of the investigation.
Growing scrutiny
Thursday’s letter comes as scrutiny around ransomware attacks and the crypto used to pay these ransoms ramps up in the U.S. government. Earlier in the day, the Department of Justice sent a memo to state U.S. attorney offices and branches, asking U.S. attorneys to file an “urgent report” if they hear of a significant ransomware attack.