Whole Lotta Cybersecurity Goin' On

There's been a lot of cybersecurity talk on the Hill this week. The passage out of committee of the 2009 Cybersecurity Act and amendments to the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act all got ink. One bill that hasn't received as much attention is the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act, introduced on Tuesday by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. This bill looks overseas at trying to squash the rising threats of hackers and criminals, and realizes the borderless nature of the Internet.

Frequently, bills are criticized for not having any teeth to enforce rules. But Gillibrand and Hatch put a big stick in this one - sort of: The bill recommends cutting off U.S. assistance to nations that do not take responsibility for cybersecurity. How "responsibility" is defined - and proven - is another matter.