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WASHINGTON -- Keeping your personal information out of the hands of hackers. Helping small businesses avoid problems posed by viruses. And stopping cyberterrorism before it starts. All are on the federal agenda--and to accomplish those goals, cybersecurity research is getting a boost.

Just before its preelection recess, the Senate has passed a bill that would triple federal funding for cybersecurity research, authorizing more than $900 million over the next five years.

Working Together

The bill would create cooperation between the federal government, universities, and private industries. It would authorize funding for cybersecurity programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support education and research efforts.

NIST is an agency that develops security standards for civilian agencies and publishes guidelines for federal agencies.

Its research also helps small businesses with computer systems at risk from hackers and viruses, says spokesperson Philip Bulman. Since these small businesses have financial and customer information in their computers, the research should be a priority, he says.

"We have a lot more ideas about . . . research than people to carry out the research," Bulman says.

National Plan

The cybersecurity bill is in collaboration with the Bush administration's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, which was released as a draft in September. Richard Clarke, special adviser to the president for cyberspace security, is currently traveling the country asking for feedback on the administration's cybersecurity plan.

Both plans want to increase the number of people focusing on cybersecurity and address the "gaping security hole" in cyberspace, says Heidi Tringe, director of communications for the House Science Committee.

"The cyberthreats in our nation are significant and are unfortunately only becoming more complicated and sophisticated as time goes on," says Senator George Allen (R-Virginia), a sponsor of the cybersecurity bill.

Teachers' Tools

The House overwhelmingly passed a similar bill earlier this year, but the Senate added an amendment by Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) that would increase the number of university professors trained to teach cybersecurity.

"We rely on computers so much today that hackers and high-tech terrorists could wreak havoc in America from terminals on the other side of the planet," Edwards says. "This legislation will go a long way towards protecting our country from cyberterrorism."

Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-New York), chairman of the House Science Committee, intends to push the Senate-approved bill through the House when Congress returns for a lame-duck session after the November 7 election.

"This has been the chairman's top priority," says Tringe. "We feel confident that it will have the same level of support."

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