Federal
A resolution urging the establishment of a Cyber League of Indo-Pacific States to address cyber threats.
Source: Congress.gov ·
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III
116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. RES. 140
Urging the establishment of a Cyber League of Indo-Pacific States to address
cyber threats.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
APRIL 3, 2019
Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Mr. COONS) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
RESOLUTION
Urging the establishment of a Cyber League of Indo-Pacific
States to address cyber threats.
Whereas the world has benefitted greatly from technological
innovations under the leadership of the United States in
the post-World War era, including the creation of the
World Wide Web which has provided an entirely new
platform for wealth creation and human flourishing
through cyber-commerce and connectivity;
Whereas cybercrime affects companies large and small, as
well as infrastructure that is vital to the economy as a
whole;
Whereas a 2018 study from the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, in partnership with McAfee, esti-
mates that the global economic losses from cybercrime
are approximately $600,000,000,000 annually and rising;
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Whereas, according to the Pew Charitable Trust, 64 percent
of people in the United States had fallen victim to
cybercriminals as of 2017;
Whereas, on July 9, 2012, General Keith Alexander, then-Di-
rector of the National Security Agency, termed theft of
United States intellectual property ‘‘the greatest transfer
of wealth in history’’;
Whereas, on September 25, 2015, the United States and the
People’s Republic of China announced a commitment
that ‘‘neither country’s government will conduct or know-
ingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property,
including trade secrets or other confidential business in-
formation, with the intent of providing competitive ad-
vantages to companies or commercial sectors’’;
Whereas the People’s Republic of China nonetheless con-
tinues to contribute to the rise of cybercrime, exploiting
weaknesses in the international system to undermine fair
competition in technology and cyberspace, including
through theft of intellectual property and state-sponsored
malicious actions to undermine and weaken competition;
Whereas, according to the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assess-
ment by the Director of National Intelligence: ‘‘China,
Russia, Iran, and North Korea increasingly use cyber op-
erations to threaten both minds and machines in an ex-
panding number of ways—to steal information, to influ-
ence our citizens, or to disrupt critical infrastructure.’’;
Whereas, from 2011 to 2018, more than 90 percent of cases
handled by the Department of Justice alleging economic
espionage by or to benefit a foreign country involved the
People’s Republic of China;
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•SRES 140 IS
Whereas more than 2⁄3 of the cases handled by the Depart-
ment of Justice involving theft of trade secrets have a
nexus to the People’s Republic of China;
Whereas experts have asserted that the Made in China 2025
strategy of the Government of the People’s Republic of
China will incentivize Chinese entities to engage in unfair
competitive behavior, including additional theft of tech-
nologies and intellectual property;
Whereas the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has also
contributed to the rise of cybercrime and according to the
2018 Worldwide Threat Assessment by the Director of
National Intelligence: ‘‘We expect the heavily sanctioned
North Korea to use cyber operations to raise funds and
to gather intelligence or launch attacks on South Korea
and the United States. . . . North Korean actors devel-
oped and launched the WannaCry ransomware in May
2017, judging from technical links to previously identified
North Korean cyber tools, tradecraft, and operational in-
frastructure. We also assess that these actors conducted
the cyber theft of $81 million from the Bank of Ban-
gladesh in 2016.’’;
Whereas section 2(a)(8) of the North Korea Sanctions and
Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 9201(a)(8))
states, ‘‘The Government of North Korea has provided
technical support and conducted destructive and coercive
cyberattacks, including against Sony Pictures Entertain-
ment and other United States persons.’’;
Whereas the United States has taken action on its own
against international cybercrime, including through—
(1) the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhance-
ment Act of 2016 (Public Law 114–122), which imposed
mandatory sanctions against persons engaging in signifi-
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cant activities undermining cybersecurity on behalf of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and
(2) criminal charges filed by the Department of Jus-
tice on October 25, 2018, in which the Department al-
leged that the Chinese intelligence services conducted
cyber intrusions against at least a dozen companies in
order to obtain information on a commercial jet engine;
Whereas the March 2016 Department of State International
Cyberspace Policy Strategy noted that ‘‘the Department
of State anticipates a continued increase and expansion
of our cyber-focused diplomatic efforts for the foreseeable
future’’;
Whereas concerted action by countries that share concerns
about state-sponsored cyber theft is necessary to prevent
the growth of cybercrime and other destabilizing national
security and economic outcomes; and
Whereas section 215 of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act
of 2018 (Public Law 115–409) calls for ‘‘robust cyberse-
curity cooperation between the United States and nations
in the Indo-Pacific region’’ and ‘‘authorized to be appro-
priated $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019
through 2023 to enhance cooperation between the United
States and the Indo-Pacific nations for the purpose of
combatting cybersecurity threats’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
1
(1) urges the President to propose and cham-
2
pion the negotiation of a treaty with like-minded
3
partners in the Indo-Pacific to ensure a free and
4
open Internet free from economically crippling
5
cyberattacks;
6
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(2) calls for the treaty, which can be referred
1
to as the Cyber League of Indo-Pacific States (in
2
this resolution referred to as ‘‘CLIPS’’), to include
3
the creation of an Information Sharing Analysis
4
Center to provide around-the-clock cyber threat
5
monitoring and mitigation for governments that are
6
parties to the treaty; and
7
(3) calls for members of CLIPS—
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(A) to consult on emerging cyber threats;
9
(B) to pledge not to conduct or support
10
theft of intellectual property, including trade se-
11
crets or other confidential business information;
12
(C) to introduce and enforce minimum
13
criminal punishment for cyber theft;
14
(D) to extradite alleged cyber thieves, con-
15
sistent with existing agreements and respecting
16
national sovereignty;
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(E) to enforce laws protecting intellectual
18
property, including patents;
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(F) to ensure that government agencies
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comply with software license terms;
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(G) to minimize data localization require-
22
ments (consistent with the Agreement between
23
the United States of America, the United Mexi-
24
can States, and Canada, signed at Buenos
25
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Aires November 30, 2018 (commonly known as
1
the
‘‘United
States-Mexico-Canada
Agree-
2
ment’’));
3
(H) to seek cooperation with respect to the
4
standards described in the Arrangement on the
5
Recognition of Common Criteria Certificates in
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the field of Information Technology Security,
7
dated May 14, 2014;
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(I) to provide for public input when devis-
9
ing legislation on cybersecurity; and
10
(J) to cooperate on the attribution of
11
cyberattacks and impose appropriate con-
12
sequences.
13
Æ
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