Public, private sectors advised to share data to combat cyber attacks

Information sharing and coordination are key elements in developing comprehensive and practical approaches to combating cyber attacks that could threaten national security and disrupt the nation's critical infrastructure, according to a General Accounting Office report released Friday. Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, requested the report. He is the sponsor of a bill, S. 1486, that would make it easier for companies to share information about computer vulnerabilities with the federal government by exempting them from antitrust law and Freedom of Information Act requests. Such information sharing is becoming more important as the government and nation become increasingly interconnected, the GAO concluded. The GAO cited challenges such as industry's reluctance to share information and said Congress can play a key role by actively monitoring the progress in meeting critical infrastructure goals and by clarifying how federal agencies may use sensitive information that companies provide.