House passes bill designed to thwart hackers

WASHINGTON – The House on Wednesday passed long-awaited legislation designed to thwart cyberattacks by encouraging private companies to share information about the attackers’ methods with each other and the government.

The measure, which passed 307 to 116, grants protection from liability if companies follow certain procedures. Many companies have been reluctant to share internal data about cyberattacks for fear of being sued, leaving both the firms and the government less equipped to battle an onslaught of cyberintrusions, including state-sponsored campaigns to purloin American intellectual property.

“At some point, we need to stop just hearing about cyberattacks that steal our most valuable trade secrets and our most private information, and actually do something to stop them,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee and one of the measure’s principal authors.

In a statement, the White House praised the bill that passed Wednesday while also expressing concerns, arguing that the liability protections in some cases went too far and could ultimately reduce the incentive for companies to report breaches. The White House also called for language ensuring that data is not shared by businesses to thwart competition.