Cyberattacks disclosed as federal security law considered

The recent rash of disclosures about cyberspying comes as the White House is making its third attempt to push through a historic federal cybersecurity law. The timing is no coincidence, some cybersecurity analysts say.

After two previous bills went nowhere, the White House needs to garner public support for a new law that could equip America for cyberwarfare. "The best way to do that is to get folks worried that we're under attack from some foreign state like China or North Korea," says Ed Adams, CEO of Security Innovation, which integrates security systems for government agencies. Recent disclosures of cyberattacks against the International Monetary Fund, Google and several defense contractors coincided with an unprecedented pronouncement last week by CIA Director Leon Panetta, who warned a U.S. Senate panel that the U.S. needs to take "defensive measures as well as aggressive measures" to win at cyberwarfare. The bill is gaining bipartisan support in Congress. It would establish a framework for distributing billions of dollars for new cybersecurity systems, while placing responsibility for securing cyberspace with the Department of Homeland Security.