Cybersecurity

White House backs controversial cyber bill

The White House late Thursday officially endorsed a major cybersecurity bill set for a final vote on Tuesday.

The Obama administration has been informally on board with the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) — which would shield companies from legal liability when sharing cyber threat data with the government — since August, when White House spokesman Eric Schultz called on the upper chamber to swiftly move the bill.

But Thursday’s statement cemented White House support for the measure that has received opposition both from President Obama’s own party and civil liberties-minded Republicans.

“An important building block for improving the nation’s cybersecurity is ensuring that private entities can collaborate to share timely cyber threat information with each other and the federal government,” said a White House memo.