Lawmakers Urge Action on Hacking

Lawmakers seized on revelations that hackers based in China broke into the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's computer network to demand legislation bolstering government and private-sector cybersecurity.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) said the breach at the business-lobbying group showed that the private sector needs better information to defend its computer networks. "Incidents like this show that while the private sector already does much to secure its networks, it needs much clearer authority to detect threats and share information, and needs better access to what the U.S. government knows about dangerous cyber threats," he said. Chairman Rogers said legislation he is sponsoring addressed the problem by giving private-sector organizations access to classified data on cybersecurity threats. It would also clear the way, he said, for companies to share information about breaches with the government while receiving liability protection.