Cybersecurity
Feds Dodge a Supreme Privacy Shot
Privacy groups are wiping their brows and saying, "Phew," after Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on how much leeway governments have in searching their employees' private electronic messages. The Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy rights group in Washington, liked the court's decision, even though it found that a California police department's search of an officer's text messages was constitutional. From a CDT <a href=http://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/cdt-supreme-court-holds-steady-workplace-privacy>press release</a>:
Cybersecurity
Officers to get guidelines for open-source intell
Officials are drawing up guidance and certifications for people in the country's intelligence agencies who develop open-source intelligence.
Cybersecurity
Developing a Taste for Cookies
It's looking like the decade-old cookie ban for federal websites is about to be rescinded. Dave Wennergren, deputy chief information officer at the Defense Department, <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100617_5266.php>talked with Nextgov</a> on Wednesday evening about the department's consideration of giving visitors to its websites the option of choosing to have cookies placed on their systems. That way the department could push content to users based on what they read and where they go on the sites -- not much different than what commercial sites do now.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity bill would give president, DHS too much power, critics say
A cybersecurity bill is gaining support in the Senate, but its critics argue that it would give the president and DHS too much power over the private sector.
Cybersecurity
SBInet border system likely to be scaled back, replaced by UAVs
The Homeland Security Department's SBInet border surveillance system is likely to be reduced in scope once the first initial 53 miles of construction is completed, the system's chief said today.
Cybersecurity
Soundbytes: Hostile, Arrogant and Mysterious
A weekly roundup of comments from Nextgov.com. All comments are presented in their original, unedited form.
Cybersecurity
Labor supports overhaul of FBI background checks
A consortium of 42 union and labor advocacy groups has endorsed a new bill that would improve the way the FBI performs criminal background checks used for pre-employment screening.
Cybersecurity
US-CERT needs stronger regulatory teeth, larger staff, IG says
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team needs to be able to compel agencies to follow its computer security recommendations, according to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.
Cybersecurity
Obama Cuts, But Not Security
If you had reservations about the importance of cybersecurity to President Obama, his fiscal 2012 budget guidance ought to give you some relief. The president has requested a five percent cut in discretionary spending, but only to all non-security agencies.
Cybersecurity
Interior loses CD with personal data for 7,500 federal employees
The Interior Department's National Business Center in Denver hasn't found a compact disc that contains personally identifiable information for 7,500 federal employees
Cybersecurity
DHS: President has adequate authority to handle cyber emergencies
Existing laws allow the commander in chief to control communications during wars, senior official notes.
Cybersecurity
DHS needs power to compel agencies to fix security holes
The Office of Management and Budget also should have the authority to tell federal managers they will help pay for the work or bluntly say they must find the money, experts tell Congress.
Cybersecurity
McCain's Dirty Cyber Politics
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Roland Burris, D-Ill., are playing politics with the Senate's new cybersecurity legislation. The mostly positive <a href="http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=f56ace2f-7ac6-49ff-80e3-652371bb6fa6">hearing</a> was momentarily turned into McCain's personal soapbox to espouse the Homeland Security Department's alleged mishandling of the Christmas Day terrorist attack with DHS' ability to head a newly created center for cybsecurity and communication, as proposed in the bill. As currently written, the new center would be patterned after the country's National Counterterrorism Center.
Cybersecurity
A Senate Hearing Preview
In preparation for today's hearing on the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act (background <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100518_3081.php?oref=search">here</a> and <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100610_9392.php?oref=search">here</a>), here's a video of Sen. Joe Lieberman's, I-Conn., public comments at a presser last week. Today's panel includes:
Cybersecurity
Internet gatekeepers strengthen security at the root
The Commerce Department and global Internet authorities are installing a change to the root system of the Internet to improve security for domain names.
Cybersecurity
A governmentwide cybersecurity purchasing contract gains converts
Experts say the expanding security threat calls for a program that allows agencies to buy cyber equipment and services within days off a vehicle designed after the massive Networx telecommunications contract.
Cybersecurity