Threats to our nation's cybersecurity are real and growing. Just like individuals, private companies and the marketplace are vulnerable to cybercrime. Tougher laws, smarter regulations, and improved information sharing will help protect U.S. national security and economic interests, but there is no single, simple solution that can make the problem go away. These threats are real, and in many respects, they represent the new front line in protecting America.

Legislating cybersecurity policies is not an easy task. A fine line runs between beneficial public/private information sharing and causing irreparable harm to vital U.S. commercial interests. The CEO members of the Business Roundtable, leaders of companies that are often the targets of cybercrime, believe that the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, known as CISPA, creates a framework for sharing of cybersecurity information between the government and the private sector in a manner that is effective but not overly intrusive.

For example, the legislation authorizes the Director of National Intelligence to implement collaborative, real-time information sharing capabilities between the public and private sectors. The Business Roundtable believes this approach could lead to the integration of the full resources of the U.S. government, including defense, intelligence, homeland security, diplomatic, economic, and trade assets. At the same time, the legislation provides essential protections from disclosure of sensitive corporate information.

The solutions embodied in CISPA also address many of the information-sharing challenges that the Business Roundtable has identified in its recent policy paper, "Mission Critical: A Public-Private Strategy for Effective Cybersecurity." The paper presents a strategy to protect U.S. economic and national security from growing global cybersecurity threats through modern, flexible and collaborative approaches to protecting America's strategic information assets.

By avoiding a top-down, bureaucratic, check-the-box approach to cybersecurity that cannot respond effectively to either the rapidly evolving threat environment or the reality of privately owned and operated information assets, CISPA represents the best, most flexible, and effective approach to developing a more robust and responsive cybersecurity infrastructure.

The Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with over $6 trillion in annual revenues and more than 14 million employees, believes CISPA is a very positive and important piece of legislation that should be approved by Congress this year.

 

 

(c) 2012 U.S. News & World Report