Science & Tech
Energy Dept. Is Updating Its Cyber Defense Assessment Tool
Created in 2012 to help protect the nation's electrical grid, the tool helps government and industry compare their preparations to established standards.
Science & Tech
New Tool Reveals Big Vulnerabilities In Mobile Apps That Use Multiple Clouds
The remote servers that power thousands of popular apps harbor a rats’ nest of vulnerabilities.
Threats
Three Ways Cities and States Can Ward Off Ransomware Attacks
A federal cybersecurity agency and state government associations issued guidance for city, county and state governments.
Ideas
Ep. 50: Cyberwarfare yesterday
This episode, we survey the history of cyberwarfare — from the ascent of Chinese hackers this century to the arrest of a Soviet-linked hacker 30 years ago, and a lot in between.
Threats
FBI Director Names China the Nation's Most ‘Severe Counterintelligence Threat’
Russia also shows no signs of stopping its election interference efforts ahead of 2020, Christopher Wray told lawmakers.
Policy
NSA Launches Cybersecurity Directorate
The group is charged with defending the country’s national security infrastructure and defense contractors against digital threats.
Ideas
Should Cyber Arms Be Treated Like Bioweapons?
A recent paper suggests that the two are more closely related under international law than previously thought. But the analogy, while useful, is not exact.
Ideas
The Arguments for Weakening Encryption Aren't Any Better Under Trump
Law-enforcement backdoors would still make everyone less safe, even as U.S. officials set their sights on broader access to data.
Ideas
Ep. 49: Cyberwarfare tomorrow
This episode, we turn to the future world of cyberwarfare — from life after encryption to the 5G debate, from the next election to the next generation of cyber professionals, and a lot more.
Policy
After Trump Weighs In on JEDI, GOP Lawmakers Say Keep Out of It
Four members of the House Armed Services Committee asked Trump to let the Pentagon award its Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract without delay.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Will Default To Trusting Other Agencies’ Cloud Security Assessments
DoD, which has had success reusing other agencies’ authorizations, will make reciprocity the rule rather than the exception.
Ideas
Ep. 48: Cyberwarfare today
In the first of a three-part podcast series, we're going to look at the contemporary risks of cyber warfare, from ransomware and extortion to online banking and culture wars.
Business
Court Clears Pentagon to Award JEDI Lawsuit
The ruling against Oracle allows the government to award the contract in August to Microsoft or Amazon Web Services.
Ideas
Organizational Resilience Can Help Prevent the Next Ransomware Attack
City and state governments should start with an informed, clear-eyed look at their vulnerabilities.
Science & Tech
Report: Pentagon Should Assume US Satellites Are Already Hacked
As U.S. and its allies tether more of their military operations to government and commercial satellites, they need to start taking cybersecurity more seriously.
Science & Tech
Suspected Iranian Cyber Attacks Show No Sign of Slowing
As Iran and the U.S. trade cyber blows, a new warning shows that the online fight is likely to go on.
Threats
Code that Allowed the Equifax Breach Was Downloaded 21M Times Last Year
A report highlights the difficulties of securing the many government IT systems that rely on open-source software.
Science & Tech
Researchers Show How to Send Fake Presidential Alerts To Your Phone
Your phone’s thirst for a better signal leaves it open to bogus messages, new research shows.
Ideas
The CBP Theft Is Exactly What Privacy Experts Said Would Happen
The more information the government collects, the more attractive that information is to bad actors.
Science & Tech
CBP Says Thousands of Traveler Photos Stolen in ‘Malicious Cyber-Attack’
The breach happened at one of the agency’s subcontractors and didn’t involve any data collected under its facial recognition program, officials said.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: