Cybersecurity

Beware the Fake Interview

As Internet attacks become more sophisticated, beware the fake interview. At the <a href="http://www.defcon.org/">DEF CON</a> conference in August, organizers held a social engineering contest revealing just how creative hackers have become. One of the tricks used was to call up an employee of a rival company and claim you have a better a job for them. A mock interview would then be set up where the intruder would have questions with the sole intent of extracting information about their employer.

Cybersecurity

iTunes Social Network Spammed

It didn't take very long for Apple's new iTunes social network for music fans, which launched on Sept. 1, to get targeted by spammers.

Cybersecurity

What customers want from data recovery companies -- besides their data back

A DriveSavers survey of 636 information technology security and support personnel asks for criteria in vetting a data recovery company that could wind up handling sensitive data.

Cybersecurity

E-mail remains the top source of data loss, survey finds

A survey by Proofpoint finds that e-mail is still the leading source of data loss, but losses via social media channels are on the rise.

Cybersecurity

As smart grid approaches, security concerns follow

The new guidelines for securing an intelligent power distribution network released build on a security framework released in January and are the product of a 450-member public-private working group headed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Cybersecurity

Can you trust your data recovery vendor?

Pressed for time and money, agencies are often lax about vetting third-party data recovery companies. New NIST guidance seeks to correct the problem.

Cybersecurity

NIST releases cybersecurity guidelines for smart grid

Guidelines are a good step forward, but they focus only on securing individual devices, not on tightening security for how different parts of the system will be connected, experts say.

Cybersecurity

Tell Me About Your Security Career

I found this little gem of an <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/30/AR2010083001935.html">article</a> today, which reminded me of the importance of finding and training cybersecurity professionals. It's no secret there aren't enough well qualified professionals (or cyber warriors) to keep up. But it might be a secret that the ones with the training don't always have a career path to follow.

Cybersecurity

DHS starts Predator UAV flights in Texas

The Homeland Security Department on Sept. 1 began flying regularly scheduled unmanned Predator aircraft surveillance flights from Corpus Christi, Texas, expanding the department’s total unmanned air surveillance capabilities to the entire Southwest land border.

Cybersecurity

Rapper Snoop Dogg joins cybercrime fight

Get ready to bust a rhyme against cyber crime with a contest cosponsored by Symantec's Norton and rapper Snoop Dogg.

Cybersecurity

DHS to expand cybersecurity program for researchers

Officials believe giving cyber specialists access to information about real-world network attacks could lead to better solutions to protecting computers.

Cybersecurity

Mobile Device Poll's Chilling Results

A <a href="http://isc.sans.edu/">poll</a> measuring user fears of cyber threats to mobile devices is the latest reminder that smart phones can be quite insecure. The poll is titled "What is your biggest fear with mobile devices in your enterprise," and 311 people participated on SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center website. Respondents said monitoring for information leaks was among the biggest fear at 46.3 percent. Untrusted applications came in at 15.1 percent, malware attacks at 14.8 percent, securing the applications at 7.1 percent, and wireless access at 7.1 percent.

Cybersecurity

DHS restructures IT workforce

The Homeland Security Department is restructuring its workforce to achieve a more even balance between federal information technology personnel and contractors.

Cybersecurity

Scientists view cybersecurity as an intimidating conundrum

Former National Science Foundation executive says technical issues and the enormity of the task make securing the Internet and networks 'the most difficult challenge' for researchers.

Cybersecurity

Cyber Costs Climb

Push to secure data and systems creates multibillion-dollar market for contractors.

Cybersecurity

Dangers of Unused E-mail Accounts

Spammers continue to step up their games, targeting your abandoned e-mail accounts. We've all been known to carry multiple e-mail accounts, some of which we don't use, or only use for specific purposes. Spammers attempt to break into these unused or little used accounts via spear phishing or brute force attacks to obtain a user's password. Once they get into the account they begin sending spam out to the user's contacts. They do so at a very slow pace, as to not be detected.

Cybersecurity

Are you mad as hell about social media access?

A post on a social media site about blocked access draws support from others.

Cybersecurity

How Facebook Can Derail a Clearance

That saucy page on MySpace or YouTube could derail a future spook job, according to an inhouse study conducted for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence -- and <a href=http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/government-finds-uses-social-networking-sites>unearthed last week</a> by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Cybersecurity

Intel's Mobile Cyber Claim

<em>The Baltimore Sun</em>'s financial columnist, Jay Hancock, <a href=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2010/08/intels_infineon_acquisition_a.html>wrote</a> on Monday that Intel's <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100830_9604.php?oref=topnews>announced purchase</a> of mobile chip maker Infineon is actually a smarter deal than Intel's acquisition of McAfee, which was made public on Aug. 19.