On Friday, Assistant Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bryan Ware announced that the agency was issuing Emergency Directive 20-04, which instructs Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies to apply a security update for Microsoft’s Windows Servers to all domain controllers. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency set out to have reliable cyber data for 24 CFO Act Federal agencies by the end of the September, but a new update from the agency says only a “handful of agencies” are on track for that, and the goal is not likely to be accomplished until next fiscal year. […]
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Office of Field Operations has launched its new biometrics entry/exit website to provide a communications channel for promoting facial recognition comparison technology and biometric information. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have identified an Iran-based cyber actor that is exploiting a virtual private network and targeting several Federal agencies, according to a joint advisory released this week. […]
Josh Corman, the former chief security officer at PTC who joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in July as a Visiting Researcher to support the agency’s COVID-19 response effort, warned on Sept. 16 that any significant delay in distributing coronavirus vaccines – by malicious hackers or otherwise – could endanger the lives of millions of people. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) revealed today that malicious actors affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) are using open-source information plans and readily available exploits to attack networks. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) effort to consolidate its network and security operations centers into a Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) model will improve the agency’s continuity of operations efforts, CIO Karen Evans said today. […]
A proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency coming out in the Federal Register this Friday would expand the collection of biometrics data by about 2.17 million submissions annually. […]
The overwhelming majority – 81 percent – of Federal agencies are increasing their adoption of multi-cloud to support telework and mission needs related to COVID-19, according to a recent GDIT and MeriTalk report. However, nearly half – 42 percent – of Federal cybersecurity managers surveyed said their cyber strategies can’t keep pace with evolving multi-cloud environments. […]
Assessing the current threat landscape six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher Krebs listed nation-state spies, cybercriminals committing fraud, and the spread of disinformation as top cyberattack vectors. […]
While the COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on the Federal workforce, one positive impact has been to boost the efficiency of Federal agency employees in how they approach their day-to-day duties, said Bryan Ware, Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are teaming up to prepare for and protect against electromagnetic pulse scenarios. […]
The Election Assistance Commission partnered with the nation’s lead cyber agency to aid election officials in prioritizing and managing risks to election infrastructure through an online tool. […]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs to address privacy and system performance issues as it moves forward with facial recognition technology and programs for identity checks, according to a Government Accountability Office report. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has finalized vulnerability disclosure policies (VDPs) for the Federal government and issued a memorandum to agencies today establishing the processes for identification, management, and remediation of security vulnerabilities. […]
The nation’s lead election security agency in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has not seen any attacks on voter registration databases or voting systems this year. […]
Shane Barney, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component, on Sept. 1 credited increased use of data automation for improving security operation center (SOC) operations at the agency. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency want to expand use of biometrics with a new rule that would implement the technology for identity verification, document production, records management, and even to prove familial relationships. […]
Cybersecurity agencies of the nations in the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance released a joint cybersecurity advisory to serve as a “playbook” for investigating incidents and highlight technical approaches to uncovering malicious activity. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Data Privacy Office said in an August 14 report that its use of Computer Matching Agreements (CMA) under the 1988 Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act (CMPPA) saved taxpayers several hundred million dollars in 2019 through the use of technology that enables DHS to compare data from multiple automated systems. […]
In the 20th century, literacy in reading, writing, and mathematics might have been the requisites to inform participation in democratic and economic systems, but over the past half century, a new form of necessary literacy has been emerging – cyber literacy. […]
As large scale telework continues across the Federal government, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) released a remote vulnerability and patch management guide yesterday to supplement the Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 Interim Telework Guidance released in April. […]
While the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 guidance was finalized in late July, Program Manager Sean Connelly reiterated at an August 26 FedInsider webinar that the documents are only the first steps of TIC 3.0 efforts. […]
With artificial intelligence applications still being developed, the chief technology officer of the nation’s primary cyber agency said “a new cadre of data professionals” is needed in order to prepare cyber information for analysis. […]
John Felker, a 30-year Coast Guard veteran and a vital force in building mission capabilities of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency over the past several years, said he plans to retire from government service on Sept. 25. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) today released its strategy to “ensure the security and resilience of 5G technology” in the United States. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made significant progress with its DATA Act reporting, but the agency’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) says that more improvements are necessary to meet the legislation’s objective of transparency in Federal spending. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is seeking information on thermal screening for emergency responders and protective services to detect fevers at point of entry, according to a July 29 request for information (RFI). […]
The Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council (GCC) – which includes members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and informs how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works with state and local authorities to protect election systems critical infrastructure – declared on August 20 that the election community is fully prepared to handle the final stretch leading up to the 2020 general elections. […]
Brian Harrell, assistant director for infrastructure security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is leaving his current post to take a role in the private sector, an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk today. […]