Cybersecurity

NDAA Negotiations Will Determine Success of Several Cyber Solarium Goals

Influence from major industry threatens once again to thwart lawmakers’ attempts to realize their policymaking goals through the annual defense authorization bill.

Cybersecurity

CISA Director: Big Tech Shouldn’t Charge Extra for Event Logging

The agency has promised to measure the success of efforts to steer major software providers toward the inclusion of logging and other basic security features in their products “by default,” but has said little about how it actually intends to do that.

Cybersecurity

Agencies Shouldn’t 'Just Trust' Software Vendors' Security Assurances, IG Warns

NIST advisors debating the merits of OMB’s policy on software vendors’ “self-attestation” to secure development practices found common ground on a need for audits and testing.

Cybersecurity

CISA Seeks Feedback on Baseline Measures to Secure Cloud Configuration

Initial baselines address Microsoft services, and baselines for configuring rival services from Google are up next. 

Cybersecurity

Global Cyber Workforce Needs 3.4 Million Professionals to Fill Gaps, Study Finds

The survey also found that government cyber workers reported the least confidence in their ability to mitigate security threats over the next couple years “based on their current staff and tools.”

Cybersecurity

Can Service Meshes Help Bring Legacy Government Applications into Zero Trust?

The Biden administration’s imperative to move to zero trust could prove challenging for agencies with still-functional legacy systems.

Cybersecurity

NSA Advocates Active Defense, as Industry Lawyer Advises Against Incident Reports

Speakers at a new conference hosted by cybersecurity firm Mandiant highlighted the challenge the government faces in motivating companies to report attacks on critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity

Labor Group Highlights Conflict of Interest Issues in Cyber Workforce Legislation

The federal workers union wrote to senators opposing an amendment to the NDAA that would establish a civilian reserve at CISA.

Cybersecurity

Commercial Availability, Consequences Best Approach for Post-Quantum Transition

Ann Cox, the lead at the Department of Homeland Security’s research office, emphasized community engagement and technological needs for a successful quantum-resilient future.

Cybersecurity

4 Critical Infrastructure Sectors to Get New Cyber Rules, Per White House Official

The deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging tech said it should be up to sector-specific agencies to decide who should  implement appropriate cybersecurity defenses.

Cybersecurity

Lessons from China’s Cyberattack Strategy Can Help CISOs Better Manage Threats, Report Says

A new report from Booz Allen Hamilton analyzed more than a dozen Chinese-sponsored cyberattacks over the past decade.

Cybersecurity

White House's Internet of Things Security Initiative Gets an Official Meeting Date

The meeting was announced as the administration prepared to release its long awaited national security strategy.

Cybersecurity

Why CISA Won’t Release ‘Public’ Comments on Upcoming Performance Goals

CISA officials often stress their non-regulatory role, but Congress keeps trying to give the agency regulatory responsibilities.

Cybersecurity

New Report Shows Significant Improvement in Consumer Cyber Hygiene

Senior administration officials and cybersecurity leaders marking Cybersecurity Awareness Month weighed in on a consumer survey examining how behaviors have changed over the last three years.

Cybersecurity

National Cybersecurity Review Begins for All Levels of Government

Answering the survey—based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cybersecurity framework—is mandatory for certain grant recipients.

Ideas

What Will it Take to End the Public Sector’s Cybersecurity Talent Gap?

The difference between the number of open cybersecurity positions and the number of people able to fill those roles has skyrocketed in recent years.

Cybersecurity

Watchdog Identifies Multiple Security Deficiencies at VA Medical Center in Louisiana

The VA’s Office of Inspector General found “critical and high-risk vulnerabilities on 37% of the devices” at the Louisiana-based medical center.

Cybersecurity

Industry Objections Spur Changes to Cybersecurity Provisions in Defense Bill  

Key members of the House and Senate are altering proposals for identifying systemically important critical infrastructure and securing the software supply chain.

Cybersecurity

Federal Cyber Mandates for Water Infrastructure Are Too Costly to Implement, Experts Say

A House hearing saw expert testimony emphasizing the need for steady funding to cybersecurity programs in water utility providers—especially in rural regions. 

Cybersecurity

CISA Plans to Measure the Effect of Coming Standards on Industry’s Cybersecurity

But big companies want to avoid agencies’ use of related performance goals in new regulation.