House Passes Cybersecurity Bill

This was written by Michael W. Cheek on Thursday, February 4, 2010, 18:58.

The US House of Representatives has passed the first cyber security bill, 422 to 5. The bill, HR 4061, known as the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, will now be sent to the Senate for approval.

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D, IL), the sponsor of the bill, said “The amount of time all of us spend on the Internet, the vulnerabilities that are out there, hopefully through this work, we can really make things better, make our Internet more secure, so we have fewer problems with attacks, not just on government but on individuals.”

The bill is designed to help the federal government acquire skilled cyber security professionals, coordinate R&D efforts, promote education and awareness among the general populace and enhance the ability to transfer cybersecurity technologies.

If the bill is passed by the Senate and approved by President Obama it will strengthen the power of NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology). NIST will be required to develop an educational campaign to encourage wholesale cyber hygiene. The bill also authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct R&D surrounding the cyber workforce.