The state of Maryland and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) have announced a partnership that will create a cybersecurity monitoring center in Maryland. The center will focus on cybersecurity research with support from both the public and private sectors. The new center will be called the National Cyber Security Center of ExcellenceRead… Read more »
Happy belated Data Privacy Day! This past Saturday marked the official U.S. Data Privacy Day, recognized by Congress in 2009. However, it seems that, regardless of how we value (or claim to value) data privacy, its an ever waning asset. The loss of data privacy comes at a heavy price, potentially allowing corporations to makeRead… Read more »
Nextgov is reporting that the forthcoming 2013 budget for the Department of Defense will include increased investment in cyber capabilities. This comes amid plans to reduce the overall DOD budget by $487 billion over the next ten years. The top-line “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices” paper released by the Pentagon “highlights the increasing importance ofRead… Read more »
The Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton recently released their Cyber Power Index, which compares the G20 countries in their ability to resist cyber attacks while simultaneously leveraging information technology in their economy. The nations are ranked based on 39 indicators combined into 4 weighted attributes: Legal and Regulatory Framework, Economic and SocialRead… Read more »
Protecting and connecting Here are a few recent links of note on cybersecurity and disruptive technology: The Cyber Power Index by Booze Allen Hamilton. The G20 are ranked by their potency in cyber, determined by their legal and regulatory framework, economic and social context, technology infrastructure, and industry application. The United States is ranked secondRead… Read more »
After Megaupload was shut down this Thursday by Federal Authorities, anonymous hackers in turn attacked the Justice Department’s website. This is the second time in the past six months that a government website has been under significant attack. Initially officials claimed they were unaware of the attack, but by Thursday night it became clear thatRead… Read more »
2011 was a watershed year for cybersecurity, but it was evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Political hacking, industrial skullduggery, drones gone wild, and mobile malware all made 2011 a year, to borrow CrucialPoint amigo Matt Devost‘s phrase (since I’m already borrowing his image for the post graphic, why not?), to live cyberdangerously. The Rise of theRead… Read more »
We’ve already covered how odds are your software applications aren’t secure. Threats and attack vectors seem to expand faster than solutions, and many solutions are employed sub-optimally due to poor updating, patching, and information management. And conventional tools can’t protect users against targeted attacks like spear phishing, which rely on flaws in judgement rather thanRead… Read more »
Over the past 18 months, almost 10,000 software applications from the government and private sector were submitted to Veracode’s online security testing platform for independent security auditing and 8 out of 10 failed to achieve an acceptable level of security on their first try. Veracode reached this conclusion by automatically checking submitted apps for overRead… Read more »
Most government employyees and agencies protect their computers by installing and updating reliable anti-virus software. Managers, IT staff and front-line workers understand the threats posed by malicious software, and they know that they have to take steps to counter that threat. But as more agencies take advantage of social media, new risks emerge that mayRead… Read more »