Digital Government

Trump order imposes consequences on election meddlers

Congressional advocates for legislation on voting security said the Trump order was welcome but didn't go far enough.

Cybersecurity

Should DHS do more with DMARC data?

A 2017 cybersecurity directive is providing DHS with a flood of data on hackers attempting to penetrate federal systems through fake emails, but thus far the agency has not articulated a plan for using the information.

Cybersecurity

Federal agencies reacted unevenly to Equifax breach

The federal government's central cyber incident response agency played a minor role in the wake of the Equifax breach, while agencies wondered who was in charge.

Cybersecurity

U.S. charges North Korean programmer for WannaCry, Sony hack

The U.S. government levied criminal and economic sanctions against a North Korean programmer and a company accused of carrying out the 2014 Sony hack, the 2017 WannaCry attacks and other cybercrimes.

Cybersecurity

House passes CDM bill

The bill now moves to the Senate, where previous DHS cyber reform efforts have stalled over jurisdictional issues.

Cybersecurity

How to spot a bot

A new report provides a deep dive into the sophisticated behavior and strategies that guide Russian botnet-directed disinformation and influence campaigns.

Cybersecurity

Chinese hacker group targets tech supply chain, report says

New evidence of a Chinese hacking group's links to Beijing could give U.S. investigators new ammunition to crack down on economic espionage and threats to the technology supply chain.

Digital Government

Does the CFAA apply to voting machine hacks?

Recent Department of Justice statements cast doubt around whether the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act would apply to hacked voting machines.

Cybersecurity

Focusing on the long tail of cybersecurity

DHS wants to use its new risk management center to buy down cybersecurity risks over the long term while leaving operational cyber incident response duties to the NCCIC.

Cybersecurity

Court case puts PRISM back in the spotlight

An appeals court heard arguments Aug. 22 on a case that has broad implications for digital privacy and the constitutionality of government surveillance authorities.

Cybersecurity

The IRS can do more with its fraud detection system

A GAO audit found that the tax agency's Return Review Program has made strides in recent years that can be applied to number of other enforcement activities.

Digital Government

Senate bill targets Chinese tech companies

Two senators want to make it the official policy of the United States to curb Chinese influence of the U.S. technology supply chain.

Digital Government

As foreign meddling mounts, DHS projects confidence in election system resilience

Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen said that by election day, 90 percent of registered voters will cast their ballot in areas with hardened election defenses.

Digital Government

Election security bill stalled in the Senate

A bid to advance a bipartisan election security bill out of committee is in limbo as pressure from states and voting tech vendors mounts.

Digital Government

Senators duel over audit requirements in election security bill

As an election security bill heads toward markup in the Senate, two of the original cosponsors are divided over whether the bill should mandate that post-election audits be done by hand.

Cybersecurity

Microsoft targets copycat influence websites

Microsoft went to court to take down websites it believes to be part of a foreign intelligence operation targeting conservative think tanks and the U.S. Senate.

Cybersecurity

The disinformation game

The federal government is poised to bring new tools and strategies to bear in the fight against foreign-backed online disinformation campaigns, but how and when they choose to act could have ramifications on the U.S. political ecosystem.

Digital Government

In Congress, election security proposals aim at 2020 cycle

Many of the proposals to fix election security would likely have limited effect in the short term.

Cybersecurity

Is Trump clearing the (policy) decks for cyberwar?

Reports that the Trump administration has rescinded an Obama-era directive guiding the use of offensive cyber operations has cybersecurity experts pondering what, if anything, has replaced it.

People

GAO presses OPM for better data on employee misconduct

A new report from the GAO flags multiple holes in the way OPM collects for employee misconduct. OPM thinks GAO doesn’t understand the law.