Cybersecurity reform going nowhere fast

For all the bellowing in Washington over Chinese and Iranian cyberspies that are striking at lightning speed, Congress is still stuck slogging at a snail’s pace to offer any solution.

A year after lawmakers failed to advance meaningful cybersecurity reform -- and months after President Barack Obama called on lawmakers to try again -- the critical task of fortifying the nation’s digital defenses remains so mired in politics that few now think it’s even possible this year. The Senate still doesn’t have a major cybersecurity bill. Disagreements continue to separate lawmakers in that chamber and in the House, which earlier this year ignored a presidential veto threat and passed a controversial measure allowing the government and private sector to share cyberthreat data. And those stalemates surfaced long before National Security Agency leaks from contractor Edward Snowden chilled practically every debate involving US intelligence. There’s been progress at the White House, which has worked to raise the security at power plants, major banks and other critical entities. But there’s only so much the Obama Administration can do without Congress. And it’s not like the president, in the midst of the bruising government shutdown fight, has the bandwidth to use the bully pulpit in defense of cybersecurity reform.