Wednesday the Senate Commerce Committee marked up and passed a vital piece of legislation: S. 773, The Cybersecurity Act of 2009. The bill, more commonly referred to as the Rockefeller-Snowe Cybersecuirty bill, is essential to protecting our cyber networks and critical infrastructure.

The collaborative bill includes provisions to:

• Provide public recognition for companies that follow cybersecurity best practices.

• Allow executive branch of the government to work with companies that do not meet Cybersecurity standards to develope plans to help secure their networks, which in turn will secure the entire network.
• Give select top industry executives security clearances to be able to alert them to cyber threats and share information, better allowing the protection of critical networks which is controlled by both public and private entities.
• Instruct the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) to create best practices and standards for cybersecurity, identity management, and authentication.

The bill also addressed the gaps in the Cybersecurity workforce. The bill creates scholarship programs for students studying information technology. It was also amended to create a National Science Foundation grant to develop cybersecurity curriculum. The bill attempts to close many gaps in cyber security, while building a better cybersecurity workforce and environment for tomorrow.

As stated by Vice Admiral Michael McConnell at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee in February, “If the United States entered a cyberwar today we would lose. For we have the most information online and the least secure networks, creating a situation where we have the most to lose.”

The Secure ID Coalition urges the Senate to pass cybersecurity legislation that enhances authentication functionality.