By Geneva Sands – The Senate on Tuesday passed major cybersecurity legation, moving one step closer toward forcing critical infrastructure companies to report cyberattacks and ransomware payments.

The passage comes as federal officials have repeatedly warned of the potential for Russian cyberattacks against the United States amid the escalating conflict in Ukraine.

The legislation, which still has to pass in the House, would require critical infrastructure owners and civilian federal agencies to report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within 72 hours if they experience a substantial cyberattack.

It would also require critical infrastructure companies to report ransomware payments to the federal government within 24 hours. As our nation continues to support Ukraine, we must ready ourselves for retaliatory cyber-attacks from the Russian government,” Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who was the lead author on the package of bills, said in a statement, noting that online attacks have the potential to disrupt the economy, drive up gasoline prices and threaten supply chains. Read On: