Cybersecurity
Privacy Gets a Boost
Privacy groups have been pushing for years to revise a federal privacy law that pertains to digital media. They got a start yesterday. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said they intend to hold hearings this spring on amending the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
Cybersecurity
Guide puts a price tag on security breaches
Organizations will be more likely to take cybersecurity seriously when they see that failing to do so could cost them, groups say.
Cybersecurity
Software Exploits Running Wild
Moving assuredly, if not swiftly, through <a href="http://www.counterhack.net/who_am_i_.html">Ed Skoudis's</a> "Most Dangerous Attack Vectors" list brings us to third-party client-side software exploits. Translated to English, attackers exploit all those programs that make your life easier (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) or make your computing experience more fun (iTunes, Real Player, QuickTime). Any third-party software running on top of Windows or Mac operating systems, especially document viewing tools like Adobe Reader, is vulnerable to this kind of attack. Additionally, attackers often launch these exploits on the same day the vulnerability becomes generally known--before a vendor has released a patch.
Cybersecurity
DHS to hire 170 IT employees during next 18 months
Richard Spires, the CIO of the Homeland Security Department, said today his IT workforce will almost double by October 2011.
Cybersecurity
GPS Tracking Equals Another Privacy Battle
The federal government is considering ways to bolster falling revenue from gas taxes, as more motorists drive hybrid and more fuel-efficient cars. The nation has a $140 billion shortfall in highway funding, which will get worse as cars burn less gas causing revenue from fuel taxes drop, <a href=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/29/nevada-studies-fuel-tax-alternatives/>according to the Las Vegas Sun</a>.
Cybersecurity
China cyber threat looms large
The PACOM chief's warnings echo complaints from Google and GoDaddy about malicious Chinese Internet activity.
Cybersecurity
Most Dangerous Attacks - Day 1
I cross paths with the world's best and brightest cybersecurity minds everyday. So, when <a href="http://www.inguardians.com/">Ed Skoudis</a>, a founder and senior security consultant with InGuardians, provided me with a list of today's most dangerous attack vectors for a project we're working on, I knew it deserved exposure.
Cybersecurity
Utilities take wait-and-see approach to smart grid investment, survey finds
Executives cite uncertainty over federal energy policy and worry about their ability to recover investment costs.
Cybersecurity
Whole Lotta Cybersecurity Goin' On
There's been a lot of cybersecurity talk on the Hill this week. The passage out of committee of the <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100324_7395.php?oref=topnews">2009 Cybersecurity Act</a> and <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100325_7218.php?oref=topnews">amendments to the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act</a> all got ink. One bill that hasn't received as much attention is the International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act, introduced on Tuesday by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. This bill looks overseas at trying to squash the rising threats of hackers and criminals, and realizes the borderless nature of the Internet.
Cybersecurity
DHS undecided about US-VISIT air exit system
The Homeland Security Department is still undecided about pursuing a biometric system at airports to verify that non-U.S. citizens leave when required.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity bill first step in fixing controversial FISMA
Agencies would be required to monitor vulnerability of networks and consider the security capabilities of products and services before buying them.
Cybersecurity
FISMA 2.0 Picks Up Steam
A <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4900:">bill</a> that rewrites the 2002 Federal Information Security and Management Act (FISMA) was <a href="http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca33_watson/2010324.html">introduced</a> by Rep. Diane E. Watson, D-Calif., o n Wednesday. Vivek Kundra, federal chief information officer for the Obama administration, didn't state his approval for any specific measures in the bill but did reiterate his disdain for the ongoing paper-based compliance measures supported by current law.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is Hard
It's not going to be easy creating an overall strategy for protecting federal networks from hackers and insider threats. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, prepared the government for just that when talking about the 2009 Cybersecurity Act, which she co-sponsored with Sen. John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va.:
Cybersecurity
Social networking still a learning experience for agencies
Using new social media tools is still new to federal agencies and minor problems and missteps should be expected, several officials said today at the FOSE trade show.
Cybersecurity
Organizations collaborating on guidance to thwart insider cyber threats
A Defense Department personnel office, police chiefs and the legal community are working together to come up with guidance for vetting online behavior of employees to protect against insider attacks.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity game plan needs stronger educational strategy
Computer science students should get college scholarships like basketball or football players, a senior official in DHS' National Cybersecurity Division said at FOSE.
Cybersecurity
Senate bill targets countries where cyberattacks against U.S. interests originate
A bill in the Senate would hold other countries accountable for cyber-crime against targets in the United States.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity legislation clears Senate committee
Bill includes certification and compliance mandates for the private sector.
Cybersecurity
The Beginning of the End for FISMA?
Tomorrow could likely be the first day of a new era for cybersecurity in the United States. The Obama administration is expected to unveil new information that will end security by wasteful paper-based compliance measures.
Cybersecurity