Sony hack could be game changer

The high-profile hack at Sony Pictures has injected new urgency into the years-old push for cybersecurity legislation, with a broad spectrum of lawmakers suddenly vowing to take action in the 114th Congress.

After years of narrow congressional focus, the Sony cyberattack has put an array of new cyber topics on the table, including offensive cyber tactics, cyber crime laws and the international community’s definition of cyber warfare, to name a few. Lawmakers have pledged to hold hearings on these topics, called on the White House to declare cyber war with North Korea and pressed for heightened economic sanctions on the reclusive East Asian regime. Despite passing a flurry of small-bore bills in late 2014, Congress has not moved major cybersecurity legislation in years. And the issues raised by the Sony incident -- cyber relations with China, United Nations guidelines for how countries handle cyber issues -- are not necessarily areas where Congress wields a heavy hand. While the Sony hack has generated an unprecedented congressional response on cybersecurity, it remains to be seen if lawmakers’ attention lasts. Cyber issues tend to follow a boom and bust cycle on the Hill following major data breaches, experts said.