Cyber Defense

US has ‘a lot of work to do’ on cyber defenses, departing cyber czar says

Outgoing National Cyber Director Harry Coker thinks his office needs more influence over the federal cyber budget but not necessarily more authority on offensive cyber operations.

White House unveils Cyber Trust Mark program for consumer devices

The label is designed to help consumers make more cybersecure choices when they pick products off the shelf.

DOD announces completion of pilot to identify medical AI vulnerabilities

The Pentagon’s red teaming effort identified more than 800 “potential vulnerabilities and biases” in the use of large language models for clinical note summarization and for a medical advisory chatbot.

Congress approves 2025 NDAA with important cyber provisions

Left out was language that would have helped clarify the scope and reach of a controversial surveillance power that was renewed in April.

CISA orders federal agencies to secure their cloud environments

Federal civilian agencies are compelled by the Binding Operational Directive to adopt specific cloud standards under SCuBA, a government blueprint that helps agencies assess cloud security security guidelines.

FY2025 NDAA targets spyware threats to U.S. diplomats, military devices

The language comes as the State department has pressed foreign governments to collectively set standards to prevent spyware abuses.

FCC to soon announce lead administrator for cyber assurance program

More information will also be unveiled during the 2025 CES, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger said.

Will cyber suffer under Trump’s goal to slash federal budgets?

Donald Trump’s intent to cut agency budgets has sparked concerns over adequate cybersecurity funding for government networks. Some believe these fears may be overstated.

White House cyber czar launches new hiring sprint 

The federal government’s main occupational series for IT jobs saw 3,000 open positions in fiscal 2024.

Officials urge a quick start migrating to post-quantum encryption

Biden administration officials on Tuesday emphasized the need for entities to start network migration efforts as encryption algorithms are now ready for implementation.

Researchers race to document voting machine vulnerabilities ahead of November

Voting machines are key physical targets in election fraud schemes. At the DEF CON hacking conference, cybersecurity experts have been working to safeguard them.

Nearly 200 firms have signed pledge to build more secure software, top cyber official says

The initial tally began at around 70 companies when CISA first headlined the initiative at RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Proposal for a federal cyber training institute study passes key Senate committee

It’s one among several cybersecurity workforce-focused bills on the Hill this Congress.

NIST will fire the ‘starting gun’ in the race to quantum encryption

Experts in the public and private sectors highlighted how to proactively transition networks to quantum-resilient standards.

Watchdog calls out EPA for continued cybersecurity concerns

The EPA has still not implemented GAO’s 2019 recommendation to develop a process for conducting an organization-wide cybersecurity risk assessment. 

White House announces plans to revamp data routing security by year-end

Border Gateway Protocol hijacking attacks are becoming more sophisticated, according to National Cyber Director Harry Coker.