Microsoft, Oracle back Lieberman cyber bill

Several major software and information technology companies announced their support for the latest version of Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) cybersecurity legislation on Thursday.

Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco EMC and CA Technologies issued statements or sent letters backing the proposal, which could come up for a procedural vote on Thursday.

The companies split from other business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, IBM and trade association TechAmerica, which have all criticized Lieberman's Cybersecurity Act.

The bill would incentivize critical infrastructure systems to upgrade their security protections, and the business groups expressed concern that the incentives amount to burdensome government regulation.

But the legislation exempts information technology from being classified as critical infrastructure, meaning the software products produced by Microsoft, Oracle and the other companies would likely avoid the bill's incentive system.

In a joint letter, Oracle and Cisco commended the co-sponsors' "commitment to ensuring that the IT industry maintains the ability to drive innovation and security into technologies and the network."

Fred Humphries, Microsoft's vice president of government affairs, said the bill "provides an appropriate framework to improve the security of government and critical infrastructure systems to address current threats."

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