"The president is determined to protect our nation against cyber threats," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council after Wednesday's failure in the Senate of a bill aimed at protecting U.S. "critical infrastructure" from cyber attacks.
Preventing a Catastrophic Attack
U.S. military officials have argued that legislation is needed to protect infrastructure critical to safeguarding national defense, including power grids, water systems and industries ranging from transportation to communication.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who supported the bill, said the issue remains of critical importance.
"Every day that we wait, our country becomes more vulnerable to a serious cyber attack, indeed a catastrophic attack," she said in a statement.
"Experts have also repeatedly warned that the computer systems that run our critical infrastructure -- our electric grid, pipelines, water systems, financial networks, and transportation systems -- are vulnerable to a major cyber attack."
Some industry leaders expressed disappointment on the failure of the bill.
"Stalemate doesn't make the issue go away," said Software Alliance president Robert Holleyman.
"There is no getting around the fact that we need to bolster America's cybersecurity capabilities. We urge both parties to put this issue at the top of the agenda in the next Congress."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which promotes online freedoms, called the Senate bill "dangerously vague" and a threat to privacy.
"We're looking forward to having a more informed debate about cybersecurity next session, and hope Congress will bear in mind the serious privacy interests of individual Internet users," said EFF attorney Lee Tien.
"We don't need to water down existing privacy law to address the challenges of cybersecurity."
In a related matter, the White House confirmed reports this week that Obama signed a directive which can help the U.S. military thwart cyber attacks.
"This step is part of the administration's focus on cybersecurity as a top priority. The cyber threat has evolved since 2004, and we have new experiences to take into account," a senior U.S. official said.
"The directive itself is classified, so we cannot discuss all of the elements contained in it," the official said, adding that it "establishes principles and processes for the use of cyber operations so that cyber tools are integrated with the full array of national security tools we have at our disposal."
- Rob Lever, AFP
Copyright Agence France-Presse 2012
