Overview

• Senator Ron Wyden has placed a hold on Sean Plankey’s nomination as CISA director, citing a 'multi-year cover up' of telecom cybersecurity flaws.
• Wyden insists the hold will remain until the release of a 2022 unclassified report detailing vulnerabilities in U.S. telecommunications networks.
• The senator alleges that the concealed report highlights negligence by U.S. telecom companies, which contributed to breaches by Chinese hackers known as 'Salt Typhoon.'
• This strategy mirrors Wyden’s 2018 use of a nomination hold to secure transparency on surveillance practices from the Department of Homeland Security.
• Neither CISA nor the White House has commented on Wyden’s demands or the nomination hold as of the latest reports.