Senate blocks cybersecurity bill days after hacking

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White hat hacker: Data breach more serious than gov't admits

Insight from cybersecurity expert David Kennedy

The Senate has blocked a cybersecurity bill just days after revelations about immense hacking of millions of government personnel files.

The vote was 56-40, four short of the votes necessary to move ahead on the legislation and link it to a sweeping defense policy bill.

Democrats had warned of the dangers of cyberspying after reports that hackers, possibly based in China, raided more than 4 million federal employment files.

But many Democrats voted against moving ahead on the legislation, angered by the effort to link the cyber bill to a defense measure that President Barack Obama has threatened to veto over budget changes by the GOP.