Ideas
When data defense becomes national defense
COMMENTARY | The next frontier of defense is not in the skies or at sea; it is in the cloud, in our data centers and in the invisible flows of information that keep our societies running.
Cybersecurity
Senate adjourns without confirming CISA director
Sean Plankey’s nomination faltered as lawmakers ran out the clock after a tumultuous year of workforce reductions. The cyberdefense agency enters the new year without a permanent leader as the White House finalizes a sweeping national cyber strategy.
Ideas
Three moves that can jumpstart cyber modernization — even wthout a full budget
COMMENTARY | You don’t need a billion-dollar overhaul to modernize cybersecurity. Lou Eichenbaum shares three quick wins and three long-term priorities that agencies can act on, even with limited budgets.
People
CISA opens 100 applications for CyberCorps students
Earlier hiring snags had forced the scholarship program to pause recruitment of top student talent for cyber jobs.
Cybersecurity
Potential NSA, Cyber Command leader nomination transmitted to Senate
The signals intelligence titan and combatant command have been without a permanent leader for months since far-right activist Laura Loomer pushed for the firing of Gen. Timothy Haugh in April.
Emerging Tech
Quantum cryptography implementation timelines must be shortened, industry CEO to tell Congress
A joint House hearing on Wednesday will examine how AI and quantum computing will impact current cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity
Trump admin to revisit bedrock cyber policies as it implements new strategy
Corresponding executive actions on cybercrime and ransomware are in the works. The forthcoming cyber strategy also includes an offensive pillar focused on “preemptive erosion” of foreign adversaries’ hacking attempts.
Cybersecurity
US charges former Accenture employee with misleading feds on cloud platform’s security
Danielle Hillmer, most recently employed with SentinelOne, allegedly concealed a cloud product’s noncompliance with federal security regulations.
Ideas
Cybersecurity 101: Why it’s time to rethink what we think we know
COMMENTARY | Cybersecurity isn’t about eliminating risk. It’s about managing it wisely.
Acquisition
Palo Alto Networks offers discounted cybersecurity solutions to agencies through OneGov deal
Federal agencies can access discounts of as much as 60% for select security offerings as part of the agreement.
Cybersecurity
FCC votes to reverse telecom security rulemaking issued under Biden
The vote has drawn significant concern from congressional Democrats, who say it will weaken the security posture of telecom systems. The initial measure was enacted in response to Chinese hacks of U.S. telecom providers discovered last year.
Cybersecurity
National cyber strategy coming ‘as quickly as possible,’ official says
“It’s going to be a short statement of intent and policy, and then it will be paired very quickly with action items and deliverables under that,” National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross explained.
Cybersecurity
CyberCorps talent pipeline buckles under Trump hiring freezes
The cornerstone program for training and placing student talent into government cybersecurity positions has been hobbled by recent federal employment logjams, jeopardizing workforce pipelines and leaving many recruits burdened by debt.
Cybersecurity
UN cybercrime treaty enables authoritarian regimes, top think tank argues
The agreement is scheduled to be signed in Vietnam next week, but the concept has raised concerns for some time.
Cybersecurity
US cyber policy goals have regressed during Trump 2.0 in ‘unprecedented setback,’ landmark report says
Cuts to various agencies and the politicization of disinfo-tracking work have slowed implementation goals set out five years ago by a congressionally authorized cybersecurity policy group.
Cybersecurity
CISA wants more international involvement in cyber vulnerability catalog, official says
Nick Andersen, the agency’s assistant executive director for cybersecurity, says the CVE project would benefit from a "more holistic look" with international partners.
Cybersecurity
US can focus on both offensive and defensive cyber, top NSC official says
Offensive measures are “an important tool of the toolbox that we’ll be unafraid to use,” Alexei Bulazel said. “But that’s not to say we don’t need to do normal blocking-and-tackling cyber defense.”
Cybersecurity
White House cyber office calls for ‘whole of nation’ effort to deter nation-state hackers
Newly-confirmed ONCD director Sean Cairncross wants to work with the private sector to develop a toolkit for stopping foreign hackers and boosting U.S. cyberdefenses.
Ideas
The federal government’s data protection depends on resilience — not just cybersecurity
COMMENTARY | An increasingly AI-driven threat landscape demands a resilience-first mindset across federal agencies.
People