Cybersecurity

Industry reps urge Congress to renew backbone cyber information-sharing law

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, a keystone ordinance that lets the private sector share cyber threat information with legal safeguards, expires in September unless renewed by Congress.

DHS head says she’s alarmed CISA doesn't know more about Salt Typhoon hacks

“The thing that has alarmed me the most about CISA is the lack of information that they have, the lack of solutions that they have, and how they protect our critical infrastructure,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told members of the House Homeland Security Committee.

US spy chief fires heads of intelligence body that disputed Trump’s Venezuela gang claims

The National Intelligence Council assessment undercuts claims from President Donald Trump that Tren de Aragua is carrying out an “invasion” overseen by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Intel agencies doubled use of US person-tied search terms under disputed spying power last year

The number of U.S. person-linked search terms used by spy agencies under Section 702 of FISA skyrocketed last year. But direct FBI queries of U.S. persons decreased as reforms came into place.

US and Netherlands seize network providers that helped hackers mask activities

The Justice Department and Dutch law enforcement shuttered 5socks and Anyproxy, services with Russian ties that sold proxies to cybercriminals. Lumen provided internet backbone data to the agencies.

House appropriators question justification for proposed CISA budget cuts

CISA’s $3 billion budget would see a $491 million cut from what it received in fiscal year 2025. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle wanted more detail on the rationale.

Signal clone used by Waltz to archive messages suspends services after reported hack

Smarsh, the Oregon-based owner of TeleMessage, said Monday it was “investigating a potential security incident” and suspended its services out of an abundance of caution.

Federal cost cutting leads cyber contractors to rework ties with government

Federal agencies are trying to do more with less on cybersecurity spending as DOGE pursues spending reductions. Officials still insist that the private sector is needed to combat hackers.

Top NSC official wants to normalize offensive hacking as tool of US might

At the RSAC Conference, Alexei Bulazel said hacking back against adversaries could be the new norm for America’s cyber strategy. He signaled support for various federal cyber offices, but acknowledged they’d be geared in the direction of Trump-era goals.

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Democrats worry DOGE may have violated privacy, cybersecurity law in taking NLRB data

Last month, a whistleblower accused DOGE affiliates of using secretive methods to take sensitive data from the National Labor Relations Board.

FBI awaits signal that Salt Typhoon is fully excised from telecom firms, official says

FBI Deputy Director for Cyber Operations Brett Leatherman said that "there’s a lot of work focused on containment" when it comes to the Salt Typhoon hacks.

Salt Typhoon hacks ‘a wake up call’ to secure telecom services, lawmakers say

The Cyber Safety Review Board was in the middle of investigating the Salt Typhoon hacks when it was disbanded in January. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said the board’s termination “leaves in limbo” the government’s probe into the breach.

Watchdog cites potential improvements for State’s cyber diplomacy office amid agency reorg

The Government Accountability Office noted that the reorganization of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy could remove it from the direct line to leadership it enjoyed while under the Deputy Secretary’s office.

‘Just wait’ to see how CISA reforms play out, DHS head tells cyber community

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to rework America’s core cyber defense agency amid GOP accusations of conservative censorship. Many in the cyber community have deemed the reductions a national security risk.

Salt Typhoon hacks to influence final round of DARPA’s AI-cyber competition

This summer, seven teams will compete to craft a best-case model that uses AI to detect and fix open-source vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Recently discovered Chinese telecom hacks will help shape the final round, a top DARPA official said.

People should be ‘outraged’ by efforts to shrink federal cyber teams, former CISA head says

As adversaries like China continue targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, Chris Krebs says we should "make CISA great again" amid expected cuts mounting inside the cyber agency.

Forthcoming NIST profile to address growing AI-cyber challenges

The Cyber AI Profile, currently in development, could help firms better prepare for hackers that use AI tools to enhance their cyberattacks, a top NIST official said at the RSAC Conference.