Cybersecurity
Geodata brokers, spear-phishing feds, a Data Act playbook and more
News and notes from around the federal IT community.
Cybersecurity
Crooks Sold ‘Photof*ckit’ Tool that Hacked Photobucket Users
Web Services // United States
Cybersecurity
Spy gadgets, transparency and 800 monkeys
Robert Litt, general counsel for the ODNI, argues that Congress and the courts have a say on intelligence policy, but not on the tech used to implement it.
Cybersecurity
NSA chief wary of proxies
Adm. Michael Rogers says nation-states might increasingly turn to surrogates to conduct cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity
Federal Employee Retirement Plan Struggles with Cyber Conflict of Interest
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board refuses to let auditors probe until satisfied that FISMA directives will not fracture the Chinese wall between OMB and the board.
Cybersecurity
Four reasons to start with system-wide visibility
As agencies consolidate their IT infrastructures and move to the cloud, infrastructure performance management becomes critical.
Cybersecurity
Third-Party Software Was Entry Point for Background-Check System Hack
Intruders piggybacked on a vulnerability in an enterprise resource planning application.
Cybersecurity
Healthy Living Natural Foods Store Probing Possible Payment System Hack
Food and Beverage // United States
Cybersecurity
Hackers Rig Ratings of Pro-Putin Videos and Spy on Iranian Expat Living in the US
Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon frets over China's cyber capabilities
The annual report to Congress comes not long after the Chinese defense ministry objected to what it said was the offensive nature of the Pentagon's cyber strategy.
Cybersecurity
Why insider threats keep succeeding
Outdated security models rarely address insider threats, argues John Sellers, and perimeter defense and background checks are not going to keep attackers out.
Cybersecurity
Senators question Thrift Savings Plan's security
The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee want to know more about TSP's cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity
NSA surveillance and an HHS nomination
News and notes from around the federal IT community.
Digital Government
Federal Appeals Court Rules NSA Spying Illegal
The phone data collection program “exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized," a judge ruled Thursday.
Emerging Tech
Homeland Security Committee Considers Turning Nation’s Cellphones into Walkie-Talkies During Emergencies
In the event of a disaster, how does the government communicate with a population of cord cutters when cellphone towers are down?
Cybersecurity
Guard, Reserve are X factors in cyber plans
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wants the National Guard and Reserve to play a crucial role in building out the Pentagon's cyber force.
Cybersecurity
UC Berkeley Students Swept Up in Administrative Office Hack
Education // Financial Services // California, United States
Cybersecurity
NIST director, Army training and connecting the grid
News and notes from around the federal IT community.
Cybersecurity