Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after President Obama called for legislation allowing private companies and the government to share information concerning threats and vulnerabilities related to cyber attacks:

“President Obama’s call for legislation to improve cybersecurity information sharing underscores the importance of this issue and the need for congressional action.

“The president’s proposal reflects many of the provisions that were in the information-sharing bill Senator Chambliss and I drafted last year, a bill that passed the Intelligence Committee by a vote of 12-3. I believe that bill should remain a top priority. I’m hopeful that Chairman Burr and I can see how last year’s bill compares with the president’s proposal and get a new bill introduced as soon as possible.

“The recent attack against Sony as well as numerous hacks of computer networks across the private sector and government show the vital need to share information related to cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, as well as the necessity to protect companies that choose to do so from liability.

“Information-sharing legislation is not a silver bullet, but it will be an important step in improving cybersecurity.”

Senator Feinstein yesterday released a statement related to a strong national data breach notification standard.

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