Cybersecurity

The Pentagon wants to be hacked -- and learn from it

DOD has its own "red teams" that probe sensitive defense networks for vulnerabilities, but the Hack the Pentagon initiative goes a significant step further by inviting private-sector hackers to get out their digital scalpels.

Cybersecurity

DOJ official, former counterterror czar spar over Apple

The court order is a dangerous effort to compel speech in the form of writing software code, said Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism adviser.

Cybersecurity

Rogers: Silicon Valley can benefit from CYBERCOM outreach

"If we can't generate value for both [sides], that's not a partnership," Adm. Michael Rogers, head of U.S. Cyber Command, said at the annual RSA conference in downtown San Francisco.

Cybersecurity

Carter sizes up emerging technology in Silicon Valley visit

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is pushing to solidify the Defense Department's relationships in Silicon Valley in the final year of the Obama administration.

Modernization

Carter: U.S. disrupting Islamic State computer networks

The goal of the hacking campaign, which has intensified in recent weeks, is to cause Islamic State militants to "lose confidence in their networks," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Feb. 29.

Cybersecurity

DOD: $6.7B cyber budget would propel capabilities

The $6.7 billion the Defense Department wants to spend on cybersecurity in fiscal 2017 would take the military's cyber capabilities to the next level, Defense chiefs told Congress.

Cybersecurity

Air Force Space Command claims cyber testing milestone

The Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter weapon system, which detects threats and assesses compliance, is now fully operational.

Modernization

Top naval commanders asks Carter to include SCADA on cyber scorecard

The request from two Navy admirals comes as the Defense Department seeks to improve its metrics for holding leaders accountable for IT security failings.

Cybersecurity

Comey seeks $85M boost for FBI cyber

Most of that additional money will go toward buying better IT and providing cybersecurity training, Comey told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Digital Government

DOD official: Focus on tech transition, not gross spend

The Pentagon should focus on fielding emerging technologies more quickly, Stephen Welby, a top defense acquisition official, told a House Armed Services subcommittee.

Digital Government

Army wants next-level computing

A request for information from the Army Research Laboratory focuses on improving the service's computing power.

Cybersecurity

Navy CIO memo promises accountability

The Feb. 12 memo issued by Navy CIO Robert Foster echoes recent emphasis from Defense Department officials that commanders will be held accountable for IT failures under their watch.

Cybersecurity

Lieu asks Comey to back off Apple court order

In a letter to the FBI director, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) argued that forcing Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's phone could have adverse Internet security consequences.

Cybersecurity

DHS cyber official: Einstein key to the future of big data at agencies

The latest version of the Einstein intrusion and detection system would not have saved OPM from a massive hack. But Phyllis Schneck, the Department of Homeland Security's top cybersecurity official, told FCW she still has big plans for the multibillion-dollar program.

People

Embattled OPM CIO steps down

Departing OPM CIO Donna Seymour had been under intense pressure to deliver on crucial IT projects in the wake of the hack of OPM that exposed the personal data of at least 22 million Americans.

Cybersecurity

DOJ, DHS grapple with FITARA

In little noticed "common baseline" documents, two large, federated agencies with law enforcement duties show how they will implement new IT procurement rules.

Cybersecurity

Departing US-CERT boss to launch cyber venture firm

In an exclusive interview with FCW, Ann Barron-DiCamillo talked encryption, the OPM hack and her legacy as director of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Digital Government

U.S. CERT boss stepping down

Ann Barron-DiCamillo has made improving DHS' sharing of cyberthreat information with the private sector a priority as U.S. CERT director.

Cybersecurity

IG details OPM contractor's security flaws

KeyPoint Government Solutions, which intruders used to hack the Office of Personnel Management, lacked a formal incident response plan and controls on unauthorized devices, according to the agency's IG.

Modernization

DOD CIO weighs giving mil branches more leeway on enterprise services

The dialogue between Terry Halvorsen and his advisers on how much control of IT services they want to cede to the military branches and how much they want to retain continues to this day.