Cybersecurity R&D bill gets traction

There has been a great deal of talk about the grave cybersecurity threat facing the government and the nation, but there has been little attention from Congress, considering it has been tied up with the now-derailed healthcare legislation, the economic crisis and other issues.

Last week, the House of Representatives finally acted on a bill that would authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on cybersecurity research and education. The Senate, unfortunately, is on a different track and has not taken action on any cyber legislation, so the prospects for concrete results remain up in the air.

Nonetheless, the House bill is a start. Known as the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, the measure was approved by a 422 to 5 vote and would authorize $639 million through 2014, including $395 to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund cybersecurity research projects. The NSF also would receive $108 million over five years to fund its existing Scholarship for Service program, which provides tuition and other assistance to cybersecurity graduate and undergraduate students in return for a commitment to government service.

The bill requires the White House Office of Science and Technology to convene a task force on how to collaborate with colleges and private business on cybersecurity research and development, and on ways to improve the transfer of cybersecurity technologies to the marketplace.

In addition, the bill would strengthen the role of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in setting government technical standards, and require the Obama administration to conduct an assessment of cybersecurity workforce needs across the federal government.

For more on the House cyber legislation:
- check out this PCWorld article [1]
- see this govinfosecurity.com article [2]