A controversial cybersecurity bill that would seek to improve the sharing of threat information between businesses and the government has cleared a House committee and appears headed for a debate on the floor next week. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, passed the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday by a vote of 18-2, with its backers, committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) stressing the urgency of updating the legal framework to shore up the defenses of sensitive digital networks in the face of mounting attacks from hackers, many seeking to steal trade secrets and other intellectual property.
"Cyber hackers from nation-states like China, Russia and Iran are infiltrating American cyber networks, stealing billions of dollars a year in intellectual property, and undermining the technological innovation at the heart of America's economy," Rogers said in a statement on the committee's passage of CISPA. "This bill takes a solid step toward helping American businesses protect their networks from these cyber looters."
