House bill would give DHS authority over private sector networks

A new bill unveiled by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) would give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to enforce federal cybersecurity standards on private sector companies deemed critical to national security.

The Homeland Security Cyber and Physical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2010 authorizes DHS to establish and enforce risk and performance-based cybersecurity standards on federal agencies and private sector companies consider part of the country's critical infrastructure. Such firms include utilities, communications providers and financial institutions. The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Yvette Clark (D-NY). It will also create a new Cybersecurity Compliance Division within DHS that would make sure organizations comply with the new security regulations. The lawmakers argue DHS has not had sufficient authority or resources to fulfill its mission as the lead federal agency for cyversecurity. The bill does not include any provision for a cybersecurity office within the White House. Instead it concentrates authority to prevent and respond to cyber attacks within DHS, where it would be subject to Congressional oversight.