Senate Cyber Bill is ‘Dead,’ Obama Signs Secret Cyberattacks Directive and more

By RyanKamauff

Here are the top cyber news and stories of the day.

• Senate cyber bill is ‘dead’ – Senator Harry Reid of Nevada (the majority leader) has pronounced that the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 is officially dead this year, after they failed to gain the 60 votes necessary. Most of the opposition came from the US Chamber of Commerce, in regard to provisions requiring government regulation of critical infrastructure protection. Via Federal News Radio, more here.
• NASA laptop with unencrypted data stolen from vehicle – “On October 31, 2012, a NASA laptop and official NASA documents issued to a Headquarters employee were stolen from the employee’s locked vehicle.” This data contains unencrypted PII on NASA employees. NASA is using an identity theft team to protect their exposure, but it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Via InfoSecurity, more here.
• DARPA transfers advanced Cyber net testing facility to DoD – DARPA has transferred the National Cyber Range to the DoD’s Test Resource Management Center. The NCR “will enable a revolution in national cyber capabilities and accelerate technology transition in support of the President’s Comprehensive National Cyber-Security Initiative (CNCI).” The NCR is used to replicate networks and they would respond to attacks. Via Government Security News, more here.
• Obama signs secret cyberattacks directive – Presidential Policy Directive 20 establishes standards guiding federal agencies in how they face cyber threats. This classified document was signed in mid-October, and attempts to wrestle with the differences between offensive, defensive and explotative. Via the Washington Post, more here.
• Credit Card Processors Targeted In Hacker Attacks – a European hacker stole over 1,400 credit cards, holders names, addresses and CVVs. He then sold these online for only $3.50 an identity. He used “sniffer” software to pull this data. Via The Examiner, more here.

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