Cybersecurity

OPM Still Hasn’t Answered Questions on Background Check Hack, Republicans Say

During a House hearing tomorrow, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is expected to question a legislative branch liaison from OPM about the holdup and excessive redactions in documents it received.

Cybersecurity

Russian Hackers Suspected in Cyberattack Causing Huge Ukraine Blackout

Experts say they have established the world’s first known case of a cyberattack on a power grid.

Cybersecurity

Is there a federal factor in the voter records leak?

Unlikely. With the First Amendment and states' rights issues to consider, federal agencies may not play any role in following up on the leak of voter information for millions of Americans nationwide.

Cybersecurity

SBA slow to improve IT security, watchdog says

Lawmakers are seeking an overhaul of IT security management at the Small Business Administration, in the wake of a critical Government Accountability Office report.

Modernization

The Flaw in ISIS' Favorite Messaging App

And what it says about the difficulty of encryption

Cybersecurity

Pentagon Grants Contractors an Extension on Hack Detection Rules

Companies get an extra year-and-a-half to comply with stronger security standards.

Digital Government

From Barbie Dolls to Moving Cars: All the Things We Learned Could Be Hacked in 2015

The Internet of Things comes with a significant drawback.

Cybersecurity

Chinese Government Broke Into Hotmail Accounts of International Critics

Nonprofit // Web Services // United States

Digital Government

Inside North Korea's Dissident-Tracking Computer Software System

Called Red Star, researchers dug into its code to discover it’s based on the open-source software Linux.

Cybersecurity

Minneapolis City Council Member Accused of Doxxing Constituents

Government (U.S.) // Minnesota, United States

Cybersecurity

In a First, NSA Advertises Opportunities on Monster.com of Federal Contracting

The agency posted a special notice to FedBizOpps.gov, right before the holidays, advertising work for small companies that develop "innovative technologies."

Cybersecurity

U.S. Voter Database Mysteriously Appears Online, in the Open

Nonprofit // Web Services // United States

Cybersecurity

Robbers Skim Quincy Credit Union ATMs

Financial Services // Massachusetts, United States

Digital Government

Who Left a Gigantic US Voter Database Sitting Naked on the Internet?

Information on more than 190 million U.S. voters has been floating around the Internet.

Digital Government

Should Cryptographers Take on the Surveillance State?

One scientist likened the danger posed by modern governments’ growing surveillance capabilities to the threat of nuclear warfare in the 1950s.

Ideas

There Were So Many Data Breaches in 2015. Did We Learn Anything From Them?

The cyber breaches in 2015 demonstrate the broad impact across both the public and private sectors.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Compromise Hello Kitty Fans’ Info, Infect Hyatt & Leak Hot Hollywood Scripts

In case you missed our coverage this week in ThreatWatch, Nextgov’s regularly updated index of cyber breaches.