Cybersecurity

Senators urge DHS to reinstate disbanded cyber review board

The board — which was dismissed at the start of the Trump administration — has been viewed as a well-intentioned but imperfect tool for reviewing significant cybersecurity events.

Cybersecurity

China-linked ‘Silk Typhoon’ hackers accessed Commvault cloud environments, person familiar says

The hacking unit previously infiltrated Treasury Department networks and compromised some of the agency’s most sensitive systems.

Cybersecurity

An 18th-century war power resurfaces in cyber policy talks

An old-world legal concept is seeing renewed interest in the cybersecurity community as a tool to give the private sector more runway to combat hackers, though many agree it’s more metaphor than mandate.

Cybersecurity

US, international and industry partners topple infrastructure of popular info-stealer malware

The collaborative effort worked to seize the takedown of some 2,300 domains that backed the web infrastructure of Lumma Stealer, sold to help hackers steal passwords and deploy ransomware around the world.

Cybersecurity

US should rethink current views of Russia’s cyber might, new report says

A think tank paper argues that Moscow’s network of hackers is more fragmented than U.S. officials once believed — a dynamic that may have led to exaggerated expectations of Russia’s cyber capabilities during its 2022 Ukraine invasion.

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Exclusive Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

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.

Cybersecurity

‘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.

Cybersecurity

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.