President Barack Obama is planning to push legislation which would protect companies from lawsuits for sharing cyberthreat data with the government, reports the Washington Post.
The legislation would enshrine in law protections for companies that share data on cyberthreats from liability.
Following hot on the heels of yesterday's news that Obama is planning on insisting that companies reveal data breaches within 30 days, the latest report suggests that cybersecurity is to play a big part in the President's State of the Union address. The New York Times reports that the latest announcement will come at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center in Arlington, Va., and is "part of a focus this week on cybersecurity and privacy."
Other legislation Obama is planning on - according to Bloomberg - includes the criminalization of botnets. Under the new plans, the sale of botnets and stolen U.S financial data would be illegal. Courts would also be authorized to shutter botnets used in DDoS attacks and other crimes.
Finally, ABC News states that Obama is planning on allowing customers access to their Credit Score free of charge as an "early warning system to let you know when you've been hit by fraud", and a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. The latter was first proposed three years ago, and would offer "baseline protections" on the use and holding of consumer data by companies.
“Today, at a time when public and private networks are facing an unprecedented threat from rogue hackers as well as organized crime and even state actors, the president is unveiling the next steps in his plan to defend the nation’s systems,” a White House statement said.
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