Defense Bill Could Revise U.S. Cybersecurity

The House on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act, and with it an amendment that could have a dramatic impact on U.S. cyber defenses.

The amendment, jointly authored by Reps. Diane Watson and Jim Langevin, would enshrine the office of the cybersecurity coordinator as a permanent fixture in the White House. It would also substantially revise agencies’ activities under the Federal Information Security Management Act, and incorporate security evaluations in their procurement decisions. eSecurity Planet has the story.

House Democrats have secured passage of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would establish a formal cybersecurity office in the White House and update federal compliance requirements for securing electronic data.

On Friday, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 229 to 186, which included an amendment co-authored by Reps. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) and Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) that achieved many of the provisions outlined in separate pieces of legislation introduced earlier by the lawmakers.

Read the full story at eSecurity Planet:


House Passes National Defense Authorization Act