SEC States Companies Should Disclose Cyber Attacks in Filings

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The Securities and Exchange Commission stated that publicly-traded companies should disclose the threat and potential impact of cyber attacks that pose a risk to their investors.

The commission made its comments in a letter to Senator Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, that was released on June 8, 2011. Last month, Senator Rockefeller and four other Democratic senators wrote a letter to SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, urging the agency to issue guidance on disclosure of data- security risk, including “material network breaches,” attacks that may result in the theft of intellectual property or trade secrets.