Cyber criminal attack groups have increased their skills, staff, and resources in the past year, making their capabilities close to those of nation-state attackers, according to Symantec’s 2016 Internet Security Threat Report . It provides an overview and analysis of the past year in global threat activity, including emerging trends in attacks, malicious code activity, phishing, and spam. […]

Internal Revenue Service cybersecurity is woefully inadequate, and Congress is to blame, according to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. “Congress has sat back and watched while criminals have come in and preyed on taxpayers,” Wyden said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. […]

Kryptowire, a company that assesses the security of Android and iOS mobile applications, will be available to Federal agencies as a resource for vetting their mobile applications. […]

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is considering recommendations for a major reorganization of the Defense Department that would make U.S. Cyber Command a full combatant command similar to the U.S. European Command or the U.S. Special Operations Command. […]

Cyber Command’s influence may not be as expansive as some think, according to its commander, Adm. Michael Rogers. “The Department of Defense is not resourced, nor is it tasked with defending every single computer structure in the U.S.,” he said. […]

HID security card readers have a potentially disastrous vulnerability in their access control panels, according to Steve Povolny, senior manager for TippingPoint DVLabs at Trend Micro. TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative team discovered the vulnerability, and warns that the system could present a real security threat, as many are located in hospitals, airports, and government offices. […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration is teaming up with major technology companies to form the Small Business Technology Coalition, which is designed to connect small businesses with technology platforms and training. The coalition will include Amazon, Box, Facebook, LegalZoom, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Zenefits. […]

Despite information security progress, the IRS still has deficiencies in controls over taxpayer data, according to a GAO study that found insufficient controls in identity authentication, server access, encryption of authentication data, auditing systems to ensure compliance with agency policies, and access to restricted areas. […]

Just 11 percent of Federal IT managers say their data centers are fully equipped to meet their agency’s current mission demands, according to a report by MeriTalk. The report, titled “Flash Forward–The Future of the Federal Data Center” and underwritten by Pure Storage, asked 150 Federal IT/data center professionals to predict and examine the future […]

The United States and Germany are meeting to discuss international security in cyberspace, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection, cyber defense, combating cyber crime, Internet freedom, and Internet governance. The meetings build off of June 2014 discussions held in Berlin, which focused on collaboration in key cyber issues over the last decade. […]

Skilled workforce retention is a major problem for the Department of Defense’s IT issues, according to DOD CIO Terry Halvorsen, and salaries are partly to blame. […]

The fledgling cyber insurance industry may hold the key to improving cybersecurity practices across the nation, according to a panel of experts who testified Tuesday before a House subcommittee. “The expansion of cyber risks and the growth of the cyber insurance market are a tremendous opportunity for the insurance sector to lead in the development […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs is on what appears to be an irreversible losing streak when it comes to its annual cybersecurity audit. Last week, VA’s Office of the Inspector General slapped the agency with a “material weakness” designation for its information security efforts—the 16th year in a row that VA has failed the annual […]

Federal agencies remain woefully behind on cybersecurity, according to the annual cybersecurity compliance report released Friday by the Office of Management and Budget. During the 2015 fiscal year, Federal agencies reported 77,183 cybersecurity incidents, a 10% increase over the incidents reported in 2014. Though the administration believes this increase may be attributed to improved detection […]

Self-driving car manufacturers are moving forward too quickly, according to Missy Cummings, the director of Duke University’s Humans and Autonomy Laboratory. She testified alongside four representatives from the motor vehicle industry at the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee. […]

With telework on the rise, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is updating its guidelines for securing data to include smartphones, tablets, and unsecured laptops that may pose a greater weakness to a company’s security. […]

While he was unable to address the Apple versus FBI case specifically, President Obama said he finds the discussion of encryption vitally important to national dialogue. “I am way on the civil liberties side of this thing,” he said Friday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. […]

The government wants to be better, and technology is the way to get there, President Obama told a crowd at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. The president emphasized the need for the government to advance in its use of technology in order to better serve its people. […]

Public-private partnerships are at the core of President Obama’s new Commission for Enhancing National Cybersecurity, according to representatives from the Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. […]

Private-public collaboration in cybersecurity is absolutely necessary, panelists said Wednesday at the Cybersecurity Conference for a New America in Washington, D.C. […]

Both Apple and the FBI are taking extreme stances in the encryption debate, which makes picking a side complicated, according to a panel at the Cybersecurity for New America Conference. […]

It’s tax season, and the IRS is warning of scams. The IRS alerted human resource and payroll specialists of a phishing scam called “spoofing,” where a cybercriminal will send an email in the name of a company “CEO” or executive asking personal information, including a PIN or Social Security number, from an employee. […]

The Defense Department launched its Hack the Pentagon pilot program that will leverage commercial crowdsourcing to find trusted cybersecurity professionals to help uncover vulnerabilities in the Pentagon’s public Web pages. […]

FBI Director James Comey endured tough questioning by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on whether the FBI had pursued every alternative to accessing the San Bernardino shooter’s phone before going to Apple, which has challenged a Federal court order that would force the company to unlock the phone. […]

The U.S. Digital Registry rolled out in late January, giving agencies the opportunity to have their online accounts confirmed by users. One of the goals of this project is to help users sift through fake sites designed to look like Federal ones.   Federal digital managers have registered accounts for over 7,300 social media accounts, […]

The U.S. and European Union agreed to a data privacy deal known as the Privacy Shield that would ensure greater protection of personal data moving across the Atlantic. The deal, which replaces the Safe Harbor Agreement, implements stronger regulations and repercussions in data exchange between the U.S. and Europe. […]

As health care record breach statistics spike, and hackers and fraudsters find more and more complex and creative ways to make money off of private health information, some have asked if the current Federal approach to monitoring HIPAA compliance is sufficient. […]

The Department of Defense continues to push forward with efforts to bolster its IT system. The Army awarded a $5 billion Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 3 Hardware contract for IT hardware, software, and other services, to 17 companies. […]

Fight for the Future protesters gathered outside the FBI building in Washington, D.C., to stand against a court order that Apple create a program that would allow FBI officials to access the San Bernardino shooters’ phone. Apple CEO Tim Cook refused to comply with the order, creating a standoff between the company and the FBI. […]

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate handed out its first award from the Innovation Other Transaction Solicitation, which encourages nontraditional companies to come up with unusual ideas to protect national cybersecurity. […]