The information sharing allowed by the bill is "all voluntary," Rogers added. "There's no new regulatory scheme, and there's no new standards that [businesses] have to go out and figure out how to meet."

The bill sponsors are working to educate other lawmakers and the public about the need for better tools to allow private companies to share cyberthreat information with each other and with the government, said co-sponsor Representative C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, a Maryland Democrat.

"The threat is real," Ruppersberger said. "This is one of the biggest threats our nation faces."

The IDG News Service