Science & Tech

Russia’s Foreign-Software Approval Service Helps Military Hackers: Report

The agency that ostensibly reviews foreign-made wares for vulnerabilities sends the lion’s share straight to its hacker squads.

Defense Systems

DOD leads the way in crowdsourced security

The adoption of bug-bounty programs in government has increased 125 percent increase year over year, according to a new report.

Defense Systems

ARCYBER brings on first direct-commissioned officers

The first successful recruits of a pilot program to commission cyber talent are getting ready to serve.

Science & Tech

China Likely Knew about Spectre and Meltdown Bugs Before the US

Fixing hardware and software vulnerabilities requires global information sharing—and that includes U.S. cyber adversaries.

Science & Tech

Hacker Caught Selling Maintenance Manuals for Military Drones

A poorly configured router allowed the theft of drone manuals, a list of maintainers, material on the Abrams tank, and more.

Ideas

DHS Aims to Turn Mobile Devices into No Phishing Zones

The Homeland Security Department and 16 other agencies are upgrading their mobile device security.

Ideas

Banning Software Won't Keep the Government Safe, Says Nuclear Security Agency Official

Rather than banning software from China or Russia, the U.S. government should focus on reducing the danger any particular app can pose.

Defense Systems

DOD, GSA, NASA move to raise purchasing ceiling for cyber emergencies

According to a proposed rule, agencies could spend more money for work directly related to supporting a contingency operation.

Ideas

Only 6 Non-Federal Groups Are Sharing Cyber Threat Data with DHS

A 2016 law intended to bolster collective cyber defense isn’t attracting private-sector participants.

Threats

Cyber Researchers Don’t Think Feds or Congress Can Protect Against Cyberattacks

Only 15 percent of cyber researchers think the U.S. can defend against a critical infrastructure cyberattack, according to a survey.

Ideas

CIA Official: Cloud Is More Secure Than Old Tech, Less 'Soul-Crushing'

Is cloud more secure than traditional government data centers? The CIA seems to think so.

Ideas

What War Games Tell Us About the Use of Cyber Weapons in a Crisis

Recent U.S. war games have shown that decision makers are surprisingly reluctant to use cyber weapons during a crisis scenario that escalates into armed conflict. Why?

Defense Systems

DISA modernizing clearance process with continuous monitoring

By continuously vetting cleared personnel, the Defense Information Systems Agency hopes to virtually eliminate the reinvestigation process and reduce the backlog.

Threats

On the Theft and Reuse of Advanced Offensive Cyber Weapons

Last year, North Korea and Russia used a vulnerability stolen from the U.S. government to conduct the WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware attacks.

Ideas

Most Major US Agencies Are Now Feeding the Federal Cyber Threat Dashboard

So far, 20 of 23 major agencies are plugged into the dashboard. The last three should be on by the end of July.

Ideas

There Is Now a Well-Documented Example of Cyber Deterrence

Unfortunately for the United States, it was executed by Russia.

Policy

Here’s How That $380 Million in Election Security Funding Is Being Spent

State election officials are mostly using new election security money to shore up the basics.

Business

Two Companies Picked To Protect Nation’s 600 Dams from Cyberattacks

The Interior Department awarded spots on a five-year, $45 million contract to manage IT risk for more than 600 dams nationwide.