Today was a big win for manufacturers in the House of Representatives. In recent years, cybersecurity has become more and more of a focus for manufacturers who operate networks featuring comprehensive and collaborative networks between customers, vendors, suppliers and governments. As the threat of online attacks grows, manufacturers have implemented the most complete security possible to protect those networks – but current law doesn’t offer the full protection manufacturers need. But with today’s passage of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) of 2013 (H.R. 624) we’re a lot closer.

“Manufacturers take any intrusion seriously, but the problem is that we can’t get any information from the government about what those threats are,” said NAM Director of Technology and Domestic Economic Policy Brian Raymond. “CISPA fixes the problem by creating a stronger partnership among the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community and manufacturers, allowing them to collaborate when credible threats arise.”

Marlin Steel, led by President Drew Greenblatt, an NAM executive committee member, takes a strong stance against cyber crime, noting, “if greater information-sharing can help find and prosecute someone using the Internet to commit a crime, it is a line worth shifting.”

The House voted 288-127 to pass the bill – with significant and widespread bipartisan support. Support for CISPA is strong and growing. Which makes the President’s threat of a veto perplexing at best. This is a solution that delivers the necessary protections and information sharing without adding duplicative regulations that fail to improve security. CISPA will allow manufacturers to take an increasingly proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to threats.

As the NAM Technology Subcommittee Chair, Eric Fitzgerald Reed, said, “Cybersecurity will play a significant role in defining the future of the Internet and business in the 21st century, so it is natural that the manufacturing and high-tech communities strongly support the CISPA legislation.”

It’s time for the Senate and the President to take the baton and put into law the protections that manufacturers need to counter the growing cyber threats in an online world.

It’s hard to avoid the issue of cybersecurity these days. Everywhere you turn there seems to be another story about hacking, theft of intellectual property, and other activity ranging from disruptive to sinister. As a result, the number of proposed solutions now seem to equal the number of press articles. At the NAM we think it is time to stop talking and take action.

The NAM has lent its support once again to a bill recently introduced in the House of Representatives that would allow companies to share cyberthreat information with the government, and vice versa, as well as with other companies. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (H.R. 624) is a bipartisan bill championed by the leaders of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD). The NAM has repeatedly said to the Hill and the White House that if manufacturers are allowed to share information – and have liability protection when they do – the cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure can be significantly enhanced.

The White House has also weighed in on this issue. President Obama raised the importance of cybersecurity and protecting our nation’s intellectual property in his State of the Union address. The day after that speech he issued an Executive Order on cybersecurity. While we are encouraged that the issue of cybersecurity is a priority for this Administration the Executive Order lacks the incentives and liability protection for manufacturers that legislation like The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act would provide.

The economic and national security of our nation is the NAM’s highest priority. Manufacturers need timely, reliable, and actionable cyber information so their businesses can address the threats quickly and move on to what they do best and what matters most – making America strong. Let’s stop talking about cybersecurity and pass a bipartisan bill that will help manufacturers.

A number of Senators – led by Sen. Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. McCain (R-AZ) – introduced an updated version of their Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act or “SECURE IT” Act today. This new bill makes important changes to address the privacy concerns that have been raised during both the House and Senate debate. It also clarifies the legislation to ensure it does not place unnecessary reporting and regulatory requirements on manufacturers. 

This bill will help facilitate the sharing of information between the public and private sector – a tool manufacturers do not have now and have told Congress it should be the highest priority if cybersecurity legislation is to help protect critical infrastructure. It does not increase the cost or regulatory burden on companies. This means manufacturers can have the flexibility to continue to drive research and engineering that will push cybersecurity innovation and improvement faster than any government mandated standard. 

The NAM supports this updated legislation and continues to call on the Senate to move the debate forward and pass legislation that helps to increase the readiness level of our nation’s critical assets against cyberthreats.

The NAM-supported Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (H.R. 3523) recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. This bill is the first step toward better securing our nation and our economy from emerging threats in cyberspace. The focus now shifts to the Senate which has signaled it will take up cyber legislation later this month.

Manufacturers supported this legislation because it would permit the public and private sector to share cyber threat intelligence with each other. As owners and operators of the vast majority of our country’s critical infrastructure, manufacturers are sometimes the first line of cyber-defense in today’s interconnected world. If able to provide and receive intelligence – while vigorously protecting the privacy of their customers, suppliers, and employees – the private sector will be better able to protect itself from those with malicious intent.

What this legislation does not do is create a new bureaucracy or a regulatory regime. It does not give the government any ability to monitor or censor private networks. In fact, no new authority is granted to the government. That includes the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Agency. Most importantly, company participation is completely voluntary with no entity required to participate or share information.

There is broad support across the business community for this NAM-endorsed approach. The Senate now has an opportunity to send a bill to the President for his signature. Manufacturers know that our economic security is directly related to our cybersecurity. It is time for the Senate to act on legislation that will strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity and not create a new and unnecessary regulatory burden.

As part of what is being called “Cyber Week” by House Leadership, the chamber is scheduled to vote on four cybersecurity bills Thursday and Friday. The NAM sent a letter to Capitol Hill this morning in support of all the bills. Why do we support efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity of our nation? We tell House Leaders this in our letter:

Manufacturers through their comprehensive and connected relationships with customers, vendors, suppliers, and governments are entrusted with vast amounts of data. They hold the responsibility of securing this data, the networks on which it runs, and the facilities and machinery they control at the highest priority level. Manufacturers know the economic security of the United States is directly related to our cybersecurity.

Since manufacturers build and own the U.S. cyberinfrastructure and ecosystem, the NAM has been advocating aggressively for common-sense legislation that removes the barriers that prevent the public and private sector from sharing cyberthreat information. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (H.R. 3523), one of the bills being considered this week, helps to solve this problem.

The NAM has also called for improving how the Federal government coordinates its cybersecurity R&D efforts as well as the importance of a highly-skilled Federal cyber-workforce. The other three bills on the calendar address these issues important to manufacturers.

We applaud the bipartisan efforts in the House to get these bills to the floor. We are looking forward to a full debate in the Senate which is likely coming soon!

Today NAM joined a coalition of associations in sending a letter to Speaker Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi that offers positive steps to improve U.S. cyber security without creating an undue regulatory burden on manufacturers in the U.S. Included in the letter are suggestions for increasing public awareness and education, information sharing, and improving research and development.

 “The strength of our free enterprise system is directly tied to the prosperity and security of our interconnected world. Cyberspace has become a bulwark of the global economy, with businesses of all sizes increasingly dependent on it for their day-to-day operations. Yet while innovative technologies help businesses achieve great efficiencies and run our vital infrastructures, we have also seen nefarious global actors—including organized criminals, hacktivists, industrial spies, and foreign governments—take inappropriate advantage of a cyber-environment that is open and welcoming to users.”

Throughout 2012, the NAM has closely monitored Congress’ ongoing debate regarding cyber security in the U.S. Manufacturers are committed to ensuring that the U.S. is well equipped to address the cyber threat facing our nation and has weighed in with suggestions and comments on the several legislative initiatives that have been offered in both the House and Senate. As this issue moves forward, manufacturers will be watching closely

Today the NAM Director of Technology and Domestic Economic Policy, Brian Raymond, sent a letter to Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Hutchison (R-TX) expressing manufacturers support for their legislation, S.2151, the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act or “SECURE IT” Act.

Manufacturers are committed to the cybersecurity of our nation – securing the data on our networks is a top priority and America’s economic security is directly related to our cybersecurity.  We support information sharing between the government and private entities to deal with threats before it is too late and pooling the knowledge throughout our nation in order to develop appropriate ‘best practices’ to improve security. 

Importantly, this bill does this without creating a burdensome regulatory environment that will negatively impact manufacturers. As the process moves forward, the NAM will continue to work with Congress to ensure that both the government and private industry are well prepared to fight any and all cyber threats that the U.S. will face.

The highest-ranking Republicans of five Senate Committees introduced a bill today targeted at increasing the ability of companies to share cyber threat information and best practices with each other and with the government.

The Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act or “SECURE IT” Act would allow for voluntary information sharing across the cyber community and protect information owners from liability stemming from those actions. The new bill would also help secure government networks, increase the penalties for cybercrime, and would prioritize cybersecurity research using existing government dollars.

The authors of the SECURE IT unveiled the bill at a press conference this morning. In each Senator’s remarks at the event consistent themes emerged: The goal of the legislation is to break down the existing barriers to information sharing without increasing the liability or regulatory burden on companies.

The NAM believes an effective and trusted partnership between the public and private sectors is the best way to reduce the cyber risk faced by manufacturers today. This can be accomplished by sharing information in a penalty-free environment and not adding to the regulatory burden when there are mechanisms that already exist to monitor and strengthen our networks.

We are pleased that an issue of such high importance to manufacturers is now center-stage in both the House and Senate legislative agenda. We encourage the leaders on Capitol Hill to work together and address this important issue to manufacturers.

The long-awaited and much-discussed cybersecurity bill was introduced in the Senate today. It is titled the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, S. 2105. The authors of the bill have worked long and hard on this legislation and they should be applauded for their attempt to address this issue important to manufacturers.

Manufacturers through their comprehensive and connected relationships with customers, vendors, suppliers, and governments are entrusted with vast amounts of data. They hold the responsibility of securing this data, the networks on which it runs, and the facilities and machinery they control at the highest priority level. Manufacturers know the economic security of the U.S. is directly related to our cybersecurity. 

S.2105 recognizes the critical link between the expertise of the private sector and role of government and puts a heavy emphasis on collaboration between the two. The bill also calls for creating mechanisms that will encourage government sharing of timely and actionable threat and vulnerability information with the private sector. It addresses the issues of securing government-owned networks, streamlining existing cybersecurity offices, and dedicating significant attention to developing the next generation of the Federal cyber workforce.

While many of these provisions in the newly-introduced legislation have merit, the National Association of Manufacturers remains concerned about the new regulatory regimes created throughout the bill. The sponsors have said publicly there will be no new bureaucracies or heavy-handed regulation as a result of this bill. (continue reading…)

Improving our nation’s cyber-infrastructure is of critical importance for national and economic security. Cyber-attacks can have a devastating impact on both government agencies and manufacturers, which dampens our economic growth and competiveness. Manufacturers are pleased President Obama has put forward a plan to help improve our nation’s defenses against harmful attacks.

The plan announced by the Administration includes many key reforms sought by manufacturers, including better collaboration between private industry and the government to identify and respond to threats and attacks. Policies which draw on industry wide best practices and partnership with the government are vital for manufacturers continue to lead in responding to new threats. 

We look forward to working with both the Administration and Congress as they begin to discuss cybersecurity reforms. 

Brian Raymond is director of technology and domestic economic policy, National Association of Manufacturers.