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Panetta promotes cybersecurity bill

Third time might be the charm. Maybe. The White House is attempting to push an historic federal cybesecurity bill through Congress.

Federal News Network Staff

June 16, 2011 7:26 pm

< a min read

Third time might be the charm – maybe. The White House is attempting to push an historic federal cybesecurity bill through Congress.

This push comes in the wake of cyber spying at the International Monetary Fund, Google and several defense contractors. CIA Director Leon Panetta, cited in USA Today, recently warned a Senate panel that the U.S. needs to take “defensive measures as well as aggressive measures” to win at cyberwarefare.

The White House’s timing may be no coincidence. After two previous bills failed to gain momentum, the administration needed to garner public support for a new law that could equip America for cyberwarfare.

The bill is gaining bipartisan support in Congress. It would establish a framework for distributing billions of dollars for new cybersecurity systems. It would also charge the Department of Homeland Security with responsibility for securing cyberspace.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.