Senate introduces revised version of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012

Five senators, including Senator Joe Lieberman, introduced a modified version of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 today, hoping to revitalize lagging support for the bill, especially among Republicans. The act, which was first introduced in February of 2012, calls for the creation of a council chaired by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and aims to promote the hardening of infrastructure critical to the US (and it’s not to be confused with SOPA, CISPA, PIPA, or ACTA; each of which made a claim to “enhancing cybersecurity” in its own way).

The revised version of the act makes the originally mandatory, government-dictated, security standards optional, but still establishes a “National Cybersecurity Council” to “coordinate with owners and operators of critical infrastructure.” If the measure is enacted, the Council would take an inventory of high-risk infrastructure, and would ask the owners of that infrastructure to come up with voluntary measures the could mitigate risks.

» via ars technica