State

Immigration Officials Use Secretive Gang Databases to Deny Migrant Asylum Claims

Legal experts and human rights advocates say they were not told about the databases and question their reliability.

  • By Melissa del Bosque, ProPublica

Top Cyber Diplomat Says U.S. Needs Allies’ Help to Punish Cyberattacks

Creating a unified international response around online attacks will help “establish the legitimacy” of norms for cyberspace, says Rob Strayer.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Diplomats Aren’t Following the State Department’s Social Media Rules, Watchdog Says

At least 20 ambassadors have used their personal Twitter accounts for diplomatic activities.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Lawmakers Push for the State Department to Help Secure Foreign Elections

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Dan Sullivan resurrected a bill that would allow the agency to share information on election threat with foreign countries.

  • By Jack Corrigan

More Than 25 Million Passport Numbers Stolen in Marriott Breach

About 5 million of those were unencrypted.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

State Department Is Buying Phone Hacking Tools for Ghanaian Police

The department issued a solicitation for specific hacking tools, which it plans to give to partners in Ghana to stem international crime.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Russian Hackers Allegedly Attacked Germany and the U.S. on the Same Day

It’s unclear whether any data was stolen in either attack.

  • By Max de Haldevang, Quartz

State Department Confirms Email Data Breach

The breach may have compromised employee personal information in less than 1 percent of email inboxes.

  • By Joseph Marks

State Department Visa Analysis System Wasn’t Patched or Scanned for Viruses, Audit Finds

Department officials also weren’t tracking who used the system or if they were sharing passwords.

  • By Joseph Marks

The Age of 3D-Printed Guns in America Is Here

The guns are untraceable, and require no background check to make or own.

  • By Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz

Get Ready to Legally 3D-Print a Gun

A settlement between Defense Distributed and the State Department has been reached.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

The IRS Doesn’t Know How to Get in Touch With American Expats. But It Can Revoke Their Passports

The tax agency reportedly struggles to send mail to foreign addresses.

  • By Aamna Mohdin, Quartz

Trump Administration Considering Regulation as a Tool to Compel Good Cyber Behavior

Regulatory actions will join other tools, such as indictments and sanctions, in the U.S. effort to promote cyber norms.

  • By Joseph Marks

Bill to Reinstate and Elevate Top Cyber Diplomat Advances from Senate Committee

The Trump administration first removed the position, then combined it with State’s internet governance chief.

  • By Joseph Marks

The State Department’s New Cyber Reports Miss the Point Entirely

Amid a crisis in U.S. cyber policy, a pair of reports on deterrence and international engagement offer recycled ideas.

  • By David Fidier, Defense One

The U.S. Is Altering its Visa Policies to Stem China’s Advancement in STEM

The State Department is preparing to shorten the length of the visas it issues to Chinese nationals.

  • By Josh Horwitz, Quartz

House Committee Forwards State Department Bug Bounty Bill

The ethical hacking competition is modeled on the Hack the Pentagon program.

  • By Joseph Marks

State Reauthorization Elevates Cyber Office Tillerson Once Shuttered

The House bill closely tracks a standalone bill to restore and elevate the cyber coordinator’s office.

  • By Joseph Marks

Social Media Screening Won’t Slow Down the Visa Process, State Department Says

The department wants to screen five years of social media and email from all visa applicants but doesn’t expect longer processing time “for most visa cases.”

  • By Jack Corrigan

VISA Applications May Require Five Years of Social Media Information

In the near future, Visa applications filed through the State Department may require a lot of personal info.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

House Lawmakers Introduce Hack the State Department Bug Bounty Bill

The bill would offer cash rewards for vulnerabilities hackers discover in State Department websites.

  • By Joseph Marks