Bill aims to protect small businesses

WASHINGTON – Bipartisan and bicameral legislation to help protect America’s 27 million small businesses from computer hackers and other information security breaches was introduced Monday by a group of lawmakers, including Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine’s 2nd District.

The Small Business Information Security Act of 2008 would create the Small Business Information Security Task Force within the Small Business Administration to help small firms understand and effectively respond to the information security challenges they face.

“According to a 2005 Small Business Technology Institute survey, more than half of all small businesses in the United States experienced a security breach in the last year,” said Snowe, who is ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “Given that the study concludes that nearly one-fifth of small businesses do not use virus-scanning for e-mail, over 60 percent do not protect their wireless networks with encryption, and two-thirds do not have an information security plan, it is clear that we must get serious about helping firms to protect themselves from cyberpredators.”