In view of the rising concern over cyber attacks against U.S. companies, particularly financial services institutions, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has introduced a bill called the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information and Technology (SECURE IT) Act of 2013.
According to Blackburn, the SECURE IT Act includes five main components: allowing the government and the private sector to address cyber threat information in a more transparent fashion; reforming how the federal government manages its own information systems; creating new deterrents for cyber criminals; prioritizing research and development for cybersecurity initiatives; and streamlining consumers' ability to be notified when they are at risk of identity theft or financial harm.
‘Pretending this problem can be subtly deposited in our desktop recycling bin is just as much a losing proposition as President Obama's heavy-handed Executive Order,’ says Blackburn. ‘Instead of playing politics and pushing top-down mandates on the victims of cyber attacks, I'm focused on creating a consensus approach that balances the interests of American citizens and businesses while holding the federal government more accountable.’
