2015 could be cybersecurity’s big breakout year. The President proposed legislation yesterday that encourages public/private sharing.

The biggest deal in Barack Obama's cybersecurity legislation proposal is that it encourages the private sector to share info on cyber threats with DHS and protects them against liability for doing so. It also criminalizes the sale of stolen financial data and requires companies to notify consumers about data breaches. Congress has passed five cybersecurity laws since 2002 but this may be the most aggressive one it tackles.

TechAmerica and the Information Technology Industry Council gave the bill a thumbs up, saying it improves national security, stimulates tech ingenuity and protects privacy. TechAmerica public advocacy EVP Elizabeth Hyman says Congress should use it as a guide to craft legislation that strengthens the “public-private cyber threat partnership.” Similar proposals have struggled because civil libertarians have feared too much government snooping and conservative lawmakers thought it would create a new bureaucracy.