The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies has pushed legislation forward that aims to curb cyber attacks against the nation's most critical assets.
The National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013, which was introduced last month in a bipartisan effort by four lawmakers, advanced toward the House floor via a voice vote on Wednesday.
The 54-page bill proposes measures to curtail cyber attacks. To protect critical infrastructure of the companies that manage the nation's energy and water supplies, for instance, the bill would improve real-time threat detection of security threats via the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC).
It would also support private-public cooperation to thwart hackers and nation-states' attempts to disrupt major operations or steal corporate data in the country.