Cybersecurity

How Cyber Command contributed to Operation Epic Fury against Iran

The digital combatant command was among the “first movers” in the operation against Iran, Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine said.

Cybersecurity

Intelligence firms watch for uptick in Iran cyber activity after US, Israel strikes

Analysts say organizations should remain vigilant, though early indications show Iran-linked hackers have overstated their success.

Cybersecurity

Fake DOD memo about ‘compromised’ apps shows swift spread of deceptive messaging

The message, widely circulated as the U.S. bombed Iran, shows how quickly unverified information can reach troops.

Cybersecurity

Hackers are exploiting exposed Cisco products, Five Eyes intelligence agencies say

A Cisco threat intelligence report calls the cyberintruders “highly sophisticated” but stops short of naming any affiliation with a foreign nation.

Cybersecurity

Treasury sanctions Russian firm said to have stolen and sold US cyber tools

The sanctions coincide with an FBI investigation into Peter Williams, a former employee of U.S. defense contractor L3Harris who pleaded guilty to selling cyber exploits to a Russian entity.

Exclusive Cybersecurity

Energy Department patched flaws enabling email impersonation in critical minerals system

The vulnerabilities could have let malicious users masquerade as agency officials, potentially misleading researchers, contractors and others.

Cybersecurity

Chinese telecom hackers likely holding stolen data ‘in perpetuity’ for later attempts, FBI official says

“I think it’s important to say we do not know exactly what the [People’s Republic of China] intends to do with a lot of this information,” said FBI cyber official Michael Machtinger.

Cybersecurity

US cyber responses will be ‘linked to adversary actions’ and involve industry coordination, official says

That dynamic will be outlined in a national cyber strategy, which will be released “soon,” said ONCD’s Alexandra Seymour.

Cybersecurity

New Treasury initiative targets improved cyber risk management for AI tools

The department says it plans to release deliverables from a public-private working group in phases throughout the rest of February.

Cybersecurity

CISA threat-hunting leader to depart for private sector role

Jermaine Roebuck announced his voluntary departure last week. The cyber agency has already lost a third of its workforce in the past year.

Cybersecurity

CISA to furlough most of its workforce under impending DHS shutdown

The shutdown would also slow ongoing revamps of a major cyber incident reporting rule that was signed into law in 2022, acting director Madhu Gottumukkala said this week.

Cybersecurity

CISA orders agencies to patch and replace end-of-life devices, citing active exploitation

The directive gives agencies three months to identify unsupported edge devices, a year to begin removing them and 18 months to eliminate them entirely.

Cybersecurity

Domestic surveillance fears loom over Congress debate to renew spying power

Lawmakers’ concerns about immigration enforcement and Fourth Amendment compliance are weighing on the reauthorization fight for Section 702 of FISA, even as the FBI privately warns against letting the foreign spying law lapse.

Cybersecurity

Senator says AT&T and Verizon blocked release of Salt Typhoon security reports

“AT&T and Verizon apparently intervened” to block a major cyber intelligence firm from sending documentation about the telecom hackers, Sen. Maria Cantwell wrote in a letter.

Cybersecurity

AI info-sharing center is in development, CISA official says

CISA’s Nick Andersen told reporters that he didn’t know of a completion timeline, but talks were ongoing across government and industry.

Cybersecurity

White House cyber shop is crafting AI security policy framework, top official says

ONCD chief Sean Cairncross also said a bedrock National Cyber Strategy, initially expected last month, is coming “sooner rather than later” without specifying a date.

Cybersecurity

Key cyber statutes at risk again as Congress works to avert shutdown

One measure allows the private sector to provide threat data to government agencies with key legal protections in place.

Cybersecurity

US developed ‘non-kinetic’ cell ahead of Venezuela mission to push cyber operations

Officials said that cyber capabilities are expected to play a central role in future U.S. military undertakings.

Cybersecurity

OMB reverses Biden-era software attestation order

A new executive branch memorandum instead allows agencies to lean on software bills of materials, or SBOMs, in lieu of a universal attestation framework.