Cybersecurity
CISA to issue list of software products critical to agency security by end of September
The software offerings are crucial for federal cybersecurity because of certain privileges and controls they enable, as defined by NIST.
House passes bill barring spy agencies, law enforcement from buying Americans’ personal data
The measure doesn’t have support from the Biden administration, which argues it threatens national security and worsens Americans’ privacy protections.
Russian hackers breached, sabotaged Texas water treatment plant, cyber firm says
If confirmed by U.S. officials, it would add Moscow to the list of American adversaries that have infiltrated water infrastructure in the past year.
Hackers tried to breach, disable widely used open-source Java tools, groups warn
The alert comes just after a possible nation state entity attempted to hijack an open-source Linux tool last month.
New bill would create a governing body for water system cyber standards
The legislation comes after the Biden administration rescinded a memorandum that would have tied water sector cyber reviews to existing sanitation surveys.
HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft
Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.
Russian hackers accessed U.S. government emails in Microsoft breach, CISA says
The alert comes a week after Microsoft was faulted in a DHS report for fostering a security culture that enabled a similar China-backed cyberattack last year.
Exclusive
Some Volt Typhoon victims ‘won’t know they’re impacted,’ Mandiant CEO says
The efforts of the Beijing-linked Volt Typhoon hacking group represent the “natural progression” of Chinese espionage, according to Kevin Mandia.
CISA alerts Sisense breach that possibly exposed customer data
An internal company note appears to show some firm info may have been exfiltrated.
Microsoft report signals ‘great concern’ for dam cybersecurity, top FERC official says
The company’s products are heavily used in the dam sector, the official said.
Cyber Command deployed personnel on 22 missions in 17 countries last year, commander says
The DOD previously said it’d be taking a more offensive approach to cyberspace.
Congress tries again for comprehensive data privacy bill
The bill would establish national data privacy standards, with the Federal Trade Commission crafting rules for enforcement.
China-backed operatives used fake social profiles to gauge US political division, Microsoft says
Some of the fake accounts used AI-generated images, and have doubled or tripled their followers since being detected, the company told Nextgov/FCW.
Featured eBooks