In September 2019, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its Zero Trust Architecture draft, setting the tone for the future of Federal cybersecurity and a move toward enterprise-wide zero trust implementation. […]

5G wireless infrastructure technology
White House
elections, voting, election security, midterms

With COVID-19 dominating the national conversation, there has been growing discussion about how to reduce crowds and lines at polling places during the 2020 election cycle. One possibility is to enable voting via smartphones. However, cybersecurity experts remain incredibly cautious given security concerns. […]

Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., said today they introduced legislation that would ban the use of the TikTok app on Federal government-provided devices out of concern that the company providing the service – ByteDance – has close ties to the Chinese government and could be compelled to share user data with the government. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) late last week issued a practical checklist to help executives “think through” infrastructure protection, supply chain, and cybersecurity issues in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and potential effects to workforce and operations. […]

Federal agencies are significantly better than private sector organizations at enforcing domain-based message authentication, reporting, and conformance (DMARC) standards to combat email domain spoofing, according to a new report from anti-phishing company Valimail. […]

The Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced in a March 4 memo that it will conduct an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) security controls to protect 50 information systems where a breach would have a “catastrophically adverse effect.” […]

cellphone

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said today he expects President Trump to sign into law “in just a few days” legislation approved by the Senate late last month that will provide up to $1 billion to pay for smaller U.S.-based communications providers to remove and replace network equipment made by China-based suppliers Huawei and ZTE, among others. […]

NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking comments through May 4 on a draft revision of NISTIR 8183, the Cybersecurity Framework Manufacturing Profile, that includes subcategory enhancements established in the agency’s Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Version 1.1.  […]

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, co-chair of the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Committee that is set to release recommendations next week on how to better defend the U.S. against cyber threats, indicated today that Federal government coordination and new thinking about deterrence will be among the report’s major findings. […]

VA
DHS

Today’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing on DHS’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget request covered a wide array of topics. However, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), spent much of his time defending a budget cut to Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]

Washington DC capitol federal government-min
FCC, Chinese suppliers

General Motors CEO Mary Barra emphasized at the RSA security conference this week that development of robust cybersecurity technologies for the automotive sector is a crucial factor in the industry-wide push toward autonomous driving technologies and eventually fully self-driving vehicles. […]

cybersecurity
cybersecurity

The Cybersecurity Tech Accord (CTA), an international, industry-led effort by technology and security companies to combat cyberattacks, said this week it signed up 14 new member companies, bringing its total number of accord signatories to 144 companies. […]

Pentagon Military Defense DoD

Jim Sullivan, defense intelligence officer (DIO) for cyber at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), emphasized the value of offensive operations in cyberspace to deter nation-state attackers during a panel discussion this week at the RSA security conference in San Francisco. […]

Both the growing ability to project offensive cyber power, and a long list of old friends around the world, are helping the Federal government to develop a greater ability to create more effective deterrence against cyber adversaries, a senior Defense Department (DoD) official said on Feb. 26. […]

electric grid

In a report released Feb. 25, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that “most” of nine agencies tasked with protecting the 16 critical infrastructure sectors “have not developed methods to determine the level and type of adoption of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” […]

A senior official speaking Feb. 26 at the RSA Conference clarified recent steps by the State Department to publicly attribute and condemn acts of cyber aggression on the part of Russia, calling the actions of the Department part of a deliberate attempt to establish a framework for appropriate nation-state behavior in cyberspace. […]

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