Industry impatient for cyber bills

Ahead of a spate of House hearings on cybersecurity this week, a coalition of major private companies sent a letter urging congressional leaders to pass cybersecurity legislation.

Ranging from defense contractor Lockheed Martin to tech giant Microsoft, and from banking firm Morgan Stanley to car-maker Ford Motor, the letter reflects the growing impatience of private firms that have made cybersecurity a top lobbying priority.

{mosads}“There is an urgent need for action to help bolster our country’s cybersecurity defenses,” said the group, which also includes health insurer Aetna and credit card firm American Express.

Notably absent are Silicon Valley stalwarts such as Apple, Google and Facebook. While these firms support stronger private industry cybersecurity, their relationship with the federal government has been strained by the government’s surveillance efforts.

Government leaders and many in industry agree that the two sides must exchange more cybersecurity data for both to get a better understanding of the cyber threats facing the country.

Only then, they argue, can we properly construct cyber defenses to thwart these cyberattacks.

“A collaborative approach is required to facilitate the real-time identification, detection and mitigation of emerging cyber threats,” the letter said.

Congress has been considering a series of bills that would grant legal liability protection for companies willing to share cyber threat data with the government.

But lawmakers have struggled to come to a consensus on the details and privacy advocates have warned such an exchange of data could lead to more sensitive data in the hands of the government.

Four House committees will hold hearings on cybersecurity this week, which may give some momentum to legislation.

“We urge the administration and Congress to enact legislation that, among other things, facilitates the sharing of cyber threat indicators with reasonable liability and privacy protections,” the group said.