A revised Senate cyber-security bill was reintroduced Wednesday sans a provision that would give power to the president to pull the plug on the Internet should a major cyber attack occur.

 

The Cybersecurity Act, S. 773, co-sponsored by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), calls for protection of critical U.S. network infrastructure against cybersecurity threats by fostering collaboration between the federal government and the private sectors that maintain that infrastructure, Information Week reported.

 

The legislation was first presented last April in a two-bill package that called for the creation of a national cybersecurity adviser, a revision of cybersecurity processes and government oversight. It also called for more funding for cybersecurity research and the hiring of more cybersecurity specialists.

 

Companion legislation that would create the national cybersecurity adviser position -- the National Cybersecurity Advisor Act, S.778 -- is still pending before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.