Rarely does a threat arise that’s so dangerous it melts political polarization, but in our new Hot Tip feature, the Heritage Foundation’s Michael Franc reveals that both sides are concerned about cyber espionage against corporate intellectual property. “It keeps me awake at night,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
Franc, the vice president for government studies, reports that the emerging issue has unified liberals like Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., with conservatives such as Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. Rogers has joined with the No. 1 Democrat on his committee, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., to author a bill to let intelligence agencies share info on viruses with private firms, H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011.
The Rogers-Ruppersberger bill would allow agencies share relevant “malicious source code” info on a voluntary and classified basis with firms seeking to fight cyber terrorists.
It’s a big deal. Reports Franc, Rogers said there are only two kinds of companies: those that have been hacked and know it, and those who’ve been hacked and don’t know it.
