A bipartisan pair of senators on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at combating cybercrime against U.S. computer networks. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) introduced legislation to combat cyberattacks and cybercrime.
The Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act instructs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to establish a baseline set of voluntary best practices for good cyber hygiene that are made available online.
The bill also instructs the agencies to consider the cyber hygiene benefits of standard cybersecurity measures such as multi-factor authentication and data loss prevention.
The Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act would help both system administrators and consumers better protect their networks and devices against known cyber threats by:
- Establishing a baseline set of voluntary best practices;
- Ensuring these practices are reviewed and updated annually;
- Making the established best practices available in a clear and concise manner on a publicly accessible website; and
- Instructing the Department of Homeland Security to study cybersecurity threats relating to Internet of Things devices.
“With cybercriminals growing bolder in their attacks, strengthening our cybersecurity infrastructure remains one of my top priorities in the Senate,” Hatch said in a prepared statement. “Cyberattacks threaten our economy and inflict untold damage on thousands of Americans. Fortunately, proper cyber hygiene can prevent many of these attacks. This bill will establish best practices for cyber hygiene and make them available on a publically accessible website,” he added.
