Cybersecurity
Obama’s 2017 Budget Boosts Cyber Spending by 35 Percent, Adds Federal CISO
The funding and personnel adjustments come after a year of constant disclosures about agency hacks.
Emerging Tech
Speed Dialer Aims to Profit off IRS' Terrible Customer Service
Software helps route paying customer to a breathing person within 1 to 6 minutes at an IRS call center notorious for its lengthy hold times.
Cybersecurity
Hackers Doxx Fraternal Order of Police, Exploit Alibaba’s Cloud, and Bop TaxSlayer
Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.
Cybersecurity
OPM Head Pledges to Help Resolve Mystery Over Who Spotted the Big Breach
OPM has maintained that agency employees uncovered the intrusion last spring while fortifying the agency's IT environment.
Cybersecurity
Oversight Committee Chair Subpoenas OPM Director for Hack Documents
At a Jan. 7 Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, grilled OPM officials about binders' worth of redacted papers.
Cybersecurity
Could a More Secure Online Browser Protect Background Check Hack Victims?
Richard “Hollis” Helms, a 45-year-veteran of the intelligence community, has a tool he says might stem the potential bleeding of national secrets.
Cybersecurity
DHS-Supported Scans of Private Networks Prompt Suspicions of Domestic Surveillance
Under the "Enhanced Cybersecurity Services" program, DHS feeds government intelligence about network threats to approved Internet Service Providers so they can immunize corporate subscribers.
Cybersecurity
Hackers Social Engineer Amazon Worker, Bug Wendy’s Payment System and Defraud Boeing Supplier
Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.
Cybersecurity
DHS Chief Defends $6 Billion Federal Firewall after Stinging Audit
"The EINSTEIN system is not a silver bullet," said Jeh Johnson. "It does not stop all attacks, nor is it intended to do so. It is part of a broader array of defenses."
Cybersecurity
DHS $6 Billion Firewall May Not Be Effective In Keeping Hackers Out of Government, Audit Says
EINSTEIN does not scan for 94 percent of commonly known vulnerabilities or check Web traffic for malicious content.
Cybersecurity
What Does the Chemical Safety Board Have in Common with OPM and Target?
The board does not keep track of computer systems it has outsourced to contractors, which could jeopardize information confidentiality.
Cybersecurity
Who’s Worried About the 96 Percent Retention Rate at NSA?
With such low turnover, Silicon Valley and other parts of the private sector might outperform NSA in snapping up fresh talent.
Cybersecurity
Oversight Lawmakers Probe Extent of Juniper Hack Across Federal Government
Last month, the company announced the discovery of unauthorized code in its technology.
Cybersecurity
TurboTax, H&R Block and TaxAct all Use This Security Feature. Why Doesn’t the IRS?
The Internal Revenue Service is not keeping pace with modern hacking, according to agency watchdogs.
Cybersecurity
Hackers Defraud TaxAct Customers, Snoop into U-Va. Personnel Data, and Breach Brigham and Women's Hospital
Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.
Cybersecurity
NSA Director: Expect More Hacks As Big As the OPM Heist
To protect itself, the Defense Department is itemizing the military's stored away files and re-examining how they are secured, NSA and Cyber Command leader and Adm. Mike Rogers said.
Cybersecurity
Here’s the Pentagon Policy for Going Undercover in Cyberspace
Most of the directions for this sly approach to cozying up with the enemy for information extraction are redacted, but the glossary offers some understanding of the tactics in play.
Cybersecurity
Hackers Breach Oregon Refuge Employee Data and Dump Car Breathalyzer’s Source Code
Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.
Cybersecurity
US Hiring Researchers to See if China’s Military Robots Originate from Hacked Designs
The feds want to know if hacked trade secrets are aiding the rise of an army of Chinese bots.
Digital Government