Cybersecurity

CISA subpoena bill set to land

The legislation will make a number of changes from a proposal submitted by DHS, narrowing the scope of the authorities to critical infrastructure IT and only for cybersecurity purposes.

Cybersecurity

Senators warn on encryption

Law enforcement hawks from both parties on the Senate Judiciary Committee threatened tech companies with new rules for access to encrypted data.

Cybersecurity

Cybercrime at the center of IRS investigations in 2019

Officials from the agency's criminal investigations unit touted a major shift over the past year towards multi-stakeholder partnerships to investigate cybercrime and cryptocurrencies in financial crime.

Modernization

FBI Unites Traditional Techniques with Tech-Driven Applications to Solve Today’s Crimes

A top official recently reflected on how insiders are transforming old-school approaches to tackle advanced cyber crimes.

Emerging Tech

Lawmakers Propose Bill Limiting Government's Use of Facial Recognition

The legislation would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before conducting facial recognition surveillance.

Cybersecurity

Cryptocurrency tracking improves -- but how?

The IRS and other tax enforcement agencies are touting big improvements in tracing the use of cryptocurrencies in tax evasion and other criminal schemes. They just don't want to talk about how.

Digital Government

FBI adds feature to threat notice system

The FBI has added a new notification capability to its incident reporting platform to spread tips on potential mass casualty suspects.

Cybersecurity

Coast Guard plans drone intercept program

The U.S. Coast Guard is developing a counter-drone capability to protect both its own locations and to guard protected assets under special circumstances as provided for under a recent law.

Emerging Tech

Did Body Cameras Backfire?

Body cameras were supposed to fix a broken system. What happened?

Acquisition

An insider's guide to avoiding procurement fraud

Outright criminal procurement fraud is thankfully rare, but compliance issues in federal contracting often have legal ramifications. Good communication can help, according to a new book.

Emerging Tech

The Endless Aerial Surveillance of the Border

New reports suggest that drone activity at the southern border is spreading to nearby cities, erasing the line between police procedures and immigration enforcement.

Cybersecurity

CISA requests administrative subpoena power over ISPs

The proposal would allow government cybersecurity officials to legally request identifying information from internet providers about the owners of vulnerable systems

Cybersecurity

NSA official: 'Dumb' software supply chain attacks still prevalent

Vulnerabilities in the software supply chain may represent a larger cybersecurity threat over the long haul than threats to physical hardware.

Cybersecurity

DOJ Makes Another Plea for Encryption Backdoors

While officials have long framed end-to-end encryption as an impediment to fighting terrorism, the department is now focusing on its impacts on child sex abuse.

Modernization

US, UK reach CLOUD Act agreement

The agreement will cover a "broad class" of crimes and investigations, including a promise not to target each other's residents and assurances that exchanges are compatible with data protection laws.

Cybersecurity

Attorney General, DHS Secretary Call on Facebook to Build Encryption Backdoors

“Security enhancements to the virtual world should not make us more vulnerable in the physical world,” they said in a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Modernization

Legacy Systems Held DHS' Biometrics Programs Back. Not Anymore.

The cloud-based HART system, which will house data on hundreds of millions of people, promises to significantly expand the department’s use of facial recognition and other biometric software, as well as its partnerships with external agencies.

Cybersecurity

Fighting Cyber Crime is Critical for National Security, Says Secret Service Chief

While election interference, espionage and power grid threats get all the attention, nation-states also lean on cyber criminals to conduct operations on their behalf, according to Director James Murray.