Open source cloud offers another route to better security, Fearmongers miss the point on mobile security and more

By Ryan Kamauff

Here are top cyber news and stories of the day.

• White paper: NIST conducts proof of concept on trusted geolocation in the cloud – A group of NIST scientists working with Intel, VMWare and RSA Archer have created of proof of concept for trusted geolocation in the cloud. This allows managers to locate the exact hardware that is running their cloud services. This is possible using the Intel Trusted Execution Technology. Via FedScoop, more here.
• Open source cloud offers another route to better security – “IBM’s move to OpenStack is another indication that open cloud offers many advantages when it comes to security.” There are currently over 5,000 IBM private consumers who will be switching to OpenStack in the near future. This will create a huge surge in the open-source cloud market at that time. Via Cloud Pro, more here.
• Raytheon, Lockheed get U.S. secrets as cybersecurity go-betweens – Raytheon and Lockheed Martin signed on to the DHS Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program, which will provide them with threat signatures obtained by USG sources, free of charge. This will increase the ability of these firms to compete not only in the federal and defense space, but also on the corporate side, as they will have better threat intelligence than many of their competitors. Via Herald Net, more here.
• In cyberwarfare, rules of engagement still hard to define – As we increase the offensive capabilities of our cyber warriors, we must step back and think, when will we use them, and how. Traditionally, our armed forces follow the “Law of Armed Conflict,” a set of international rules created to govern armed warfare while protecting non-combatants and enemy prisoners of war. But the cyber domain is different, attacks which may affect a key military objective might have incredibly unintended (and devastating) effects on civilian infrastructure. As the consequences of such attacks are unknown (and cannot be completely forecast) we have to take great care in defining our rules of engagement in the cyber domain. Via The Washington Post, more here.
• Hackers target grocery store card readers – Hackers in Arizona are targeting a grocery chain’s card readers to steal identities. Over 100 victims have been identified in Arizona as targets of identity thieves who stole credit card numbers and made purchases on the east coast, as well as Indonesia and Spain. Via KVOA, more here.
• DSB task force urges security mandates for DoD cloud computing – “Cloud computing adoption within the Defense Department will require establishment of clear security mandates, says a report from a Defense Science Board task force.” This report points to the DoD CIO and DISA chief using hypervisor attestation, hardware attestation for encryption keys and more. This report also recommends a standardized cloud SLA, and a central repository that documents the cloud transition. Via FierceGovernmentIT, more here.
• DOD furloughs to begin April 26 – Furloughs for DoD civilians will begin April 26th, barring any major legislative changes. Via FedScoop, more here.
• Fearmongers miss the point on mobile security – “everyone likes to trumpet the claim that mobile is insecure. Now that people are using their smartphones for work, enterprises are in trouble. The apps that people are using are going to let out all of the confidential data that everyone has been storing for decades…the dirty secret is that mobile has nothing to do with it.” This is an excellent post which investigates how manufacturers are using FUD to sell you on securing your mobile infrastructure, when the real problem is your conventional IT (and its implementation). The author, Brian Katz, makes the point that the real issue is not technology, but our culture of insecurity (and skirting security mandates for ease of use). Via CITE World, more here.

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