Cybersecurity

OPM Head Pledges to Help Resolve Mystery Over Who Spotted the Big Breach

OPM has maintained that agency employees uncovered the intrusion last spring while fortifying the agency's IT environment.

Cybersecurity

Oversight Committee Chair Subpoenas OPM Director for Hack Documents

At a Jan. 7 Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, grilled OPM officials about binders' worth of redacted papers.

Cybersecurity

What Does the Chemical Safety Board Have in Common with OPM and Target?

The board does not keep track of computer systems it has outsourced to contractors, which could jeopardize information confidentiality.

Cybersecurity

NSA Director: Expect More Hacks As Big As the OPM Heist

To protect itself, the Defense Department is itemizing the military's stored away files and re-examining how they are secured, NSA and Cyber Command leader and Adm. Mike Rogers said.

Cybersecurity

Here’s the Pentagon Policy for Going Undercover in Cyberspace

Most of the directions for this sly approach to cozying up with the enemy for information extraction are redacted, but the glossary offers some understanding of the tactics in play.

Cybersecurity

OPM Hackers Netted Usernames, Social Security Numbers Years Ago

Federal officials always maintained the attackers -- who nabbed 21.5 million background check records last year -- never obtained personally identifiable information during a breach two years ago.

Cybersecurity

OPM Still Hasn’t Answered Questions on Background Check Hack, Republicans Say

During a House hearing tomorrow, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is expected to question a legislative branch liaison from OPM about the holdup and excessive redactions in documents it received.

Cybersecurity

New OPM Cyber Czar Worried About an ISIS Hack

Clifton Triplett -- named OPM's first-ever senior cyber and IT adviser last month – says forthcoming access controls will blunt the severity of any future hack.

Cybersecurity

DHS Contract Expands Anti-Hacker EINSTEIN Protection to Every Agency

The deal was inked to complete a goal of making so-called EINSTEIN 3A network protections available to all civilian agencies by Dec. 31.

Cybersecurity

OPM Says Dead Federal Employees Also Need ID Theft Protection

The agency is mailing about 300,000 notification letters addressed to the departed

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers Want National Security Damage Assessment on OPM Hack

The House version of the 2016 Intelligence Authorization Act mandates a report on whether the hack disrupted overseas operations.

Cybersecurity

Secret DHS Audit Could Prove Governmentwide Hacker Surveillance Isn’t Really Governmentwide

The intrusion-prevention system, named EINSTEIN 3 Accelerated, garnered both ridicule and praise following the OPM hack.

Cybersecurity

New Pentagon Website Can Tell If You Were Hacked by China

Launched Nov. 17, "OPM Verify" is a public, self-confirmation tool for the 21.5 million victims of the Office of Personnel hack who have not yet received notification letters or need additional help.

Cybersecurity

OPM Hunting for Second New Cyber Official Since the Big Hack

The position marks the second new OPM information security role created since the agency disclosed the breach in June.

Cybersecurity

Should ID Theft Protection Be a Standard Federal Employee Benefit?

OPM and the U.S. Postal Service both provided credit monitoring to personnel after breaches at their respective agencies.

Cybersecurity

OPM Says It Breaks Encryption to Monitor Employees' Browsing Habits

Through a technique called "SSL decryption," the agency sees through secure online transactions between a worker’s computer inside the agency firewall and an external website.

Cybersecurity

OPM: ‘There’s No Way’ to Isolate Background Check Systems from the Internet

"Air-gapped" computers are used by defense organizations, nuclear power plants and other environments that require the tightest security.

Cybersecurity

OPM to Fully Do Away with Passwords for Network Access – In 2 Years

Today, all OPM employees need a smart card for network access, but not for all users outside of the agency.