WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Obama administration officials told U.S. senators in a classified meeting cybersecurity legislation is needed this year, The Hill reported.
The newspaper said several senators Thursday acknowledged they had taken part in the briefing behind closed doors Wednesday requested by the administration. The meeting included White House officials, the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Pentagon and bipartisan leaders of Senate committees overseeing cybersecurity.
Sources told The Hill everyone at the meeting agreed there was an urgent need to protect U.S. computer networks.
Specifically, senators told the newspaper legislation was needed to clarify how much authority the federal government has to require critical infrastructure, such as utilities and financial institutions, to improve protection of their networks.
The process has been stalled since the Obama administration produced recommendations for cybersecurity legislation in May, the newspaper said.
"There's a feeling it needs to be done very, very soon," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, told The Hill.
House Republicans made their own recommendations earlier this month, suggesting a narrower definition of critical infrastructure than the White House or Senate and emphasizing information-sharing over mandatory security standards, The Hill reported.
House Republicans, unlike the White House, would limit the rules to sectors that are already heavily regulated, such as nuclear power.
