The Latest in IT Security

In the wake of the massive data breaches that put millions of customers at Target, Neiman Marcus, and other retailers in harms way, senators in Congress has revived efforts to create federal standards for companies to safeguard consumer data. The Data Security and Breach Notification Act, drafted by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and four other senior Democratic senators, will, they hope, make companies more accountable to their customers should their personal information fall into hackers hands. Members of Congress must come together to pass this common-sense plan. The new bill, announced this week, is an attempt to consolidate the patchwork of laws across most states that require companies to alert their customers when personal data has been compromised — something Senator Feinstein and her co-signers see as a growing problem. News of the bill comes only weeks after California enacted a stricter update to its own data breach law, expanding the definition of personal data to include usernames, passwords, and security questions and answers.