New bill proposes government-wide processes to attribute, sanction hackers

Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX) speaks during a press conference with other members of the Republican Study Committee as well as members of House Republican leadership in Washington, DC on October 28, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Legislation introduced Monday night by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, would build sweeping a framework across multiple federal agencies to identify, attribute and impose harsh reprisals against nation-state hackers and cybercrime groups.

The 2025 Cyber Deterrence and Response Act would direct the National Cyber Director to designate foreign agencies, individuals and organizations that pose a cyber threat to U.S. interests.

It also would create a “national attribution framework” that directs major agencies like the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State and others to craft a uniform, technical consensus on how to designate hacking groups, leaning on the private sector and international partners to aid in that work.

Cybersecurity firms and intelligence agencies ...