(Bloomberg View) — President Barack Obama wants to prod corporations into addressing their cybersecurity weaknesses and he used his State of the Union speech to do just that.
Obama also placed responsibility for inaction and any damage from future attacks on the shoulders of a deeply divided, partisan Congress. His proposals are still largely shapeless. But if Congress doesn't help develop an aggressive plan and if companies are then hit by waves of serious cyberattacks — as the most pessimistic security professionals believe will happen this year — Republicans and Democrats alike may come under fire.
Online security wouldn't have warranted presidential attention in the past, but in the wake of the Sony hack, corporate America is grappling with the destructive power of a serious breach. Cybersecurity experts have warned for months that corporate hackers are using techniques once reserved for nation-state level warfare and they say an attack on the nation's largest businesses could disrupt commerce, livelihoods and workers' morale.
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