The Vast Majority of IRS Employees Aren't Corrupt
GSA Mishandled Executive Bonuses
EIG 2013 as Told by Your Tweets
Infographic: Nominee Limbo
Will You Be Furloughed?
Boldly Go Where No Fed's Gone Before
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Jessica Herrera-Flanigan
Jessica Herrera-Flanigan
Jessica R. Herrera-Flanigan is a partner at the Monument Policy Group, where she focuses on the issues affecting our nation’s security, technology, commerce, and entertainment markets. Previously, she served as the Staff Director and General Counsel of the House Committee on Homeland Security. She also has served as Senior Counsel at the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, where she led the Section’s cybercrime investigation team. She was a Member of the CSIS Commission on Cyber Security and is a Member of the ABA Standing Committee on Law & National Security. She currently serves as the Fellow for Cybersecurity at the Center for National Policy.
The Debate Over What's Private or Public Online Is Just Warming Up
January 13, 2012
FROM NEXTGOV
On Thursday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission requesting that the agency investigate Google's recent announcement to integrate its social network, Google+, into search results. The letter asserts a number of charges relating to competition and privacy. One of the issues mentioned is ...
Top Ten Cybersecurity Stories of 2011
January 4, 2012
FROM NEXTGOV
The year 2011 proved to be a busy one on the cybersecurity front, with significant attention being paid to attacks, breaches and general security issues. Hackers' exploits this year were not necessarily new, but neither was the prioritization of the issue by policymakers, the media, and to a lesser extent, ...
The Emperor's New Public-Private Partnership
December 29, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
These days, there is much chatter in the cybersecurity space about the need for robust "public-private partnerships." Just last month, the Department of Homeland Security in its Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future, discussed the need for clarification in existing law to strengthen the framework for public-private cooperation. Last week, ...
What Would 'The Mentor' Say About Anonymous?
December 28, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
In 1986, Lloyd Blankenship, who went by the stylized handle +++The Mentor+++, drafted "The Conscience of a Hacker," widely known as the Hacker's Manifesto. Blankenship, who was a member of the Legion of Doom and Extasyy Elite, wrote the document shortly after he was arrested. In the Manifesto, he wrote: ...
Happy Holidays and, BTW, Protect Your Stuff
December 23, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
While the news this week has largely covered the hack into the Chamber of Commerce's email system and the trial of suspected WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning, US-CERT released "Cyber Security Tip ST 11-001, Holiday Traveling with Personal Internet-Enabled Devices." The Tip starts out: The Internet is at our fingertips with ...
Unintended Consequences: Oops, There's a Bug!
December 16, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
This week's increased attention on the disclosure that Carrier IQ's mobile software may have captured personal information, including key strokes and private SMS messages, is only the latest incident of technology "analytics" having bugs or being misappropriated for uses not initially contemplated. In its case, Carrier IQ has alleged that ...
Registered and Certified by Email?
December 8, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
The U.S. Postal Service announced on Monday that it will be slowing down its delivery service, among other actions, beginning next spring in order to cut costs and try to keep from entering bankruptcy. The action is an attempt to eliminate $3 billion in costs. Mail would be slowed so ...
Pulling the Cyber Shades Completely Down
November 15, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
And shouldn't widow Jones be told to keep her window shades all pulled completely down... I was listening to music yesterday as I was catching up on Facebook, and the classic country song Harper Valley P.T.A., made popular by Jeannie C. Riley in 1968, popped up on my playlist. It ...
SEC Guidelines - Good Intentions Fall Short?
October 24, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
As I wrote last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission, among other agencies, has jumped into the cybersecurity arena -- issuing guidance on disclosure requirements for companies at risk or affected by cyber events. While the SEC guidelines have the right intentions, they fall short in trying to address a ...
Clearer Lines for Government Action?
October 18, 2011
FROM NEXTGOV
Last Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued guidance regarding disclosure obligations relating to cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents. While I am still pondering the efficacy of the SEC guidelines and will write more on that topic later this week, the key issue is that companies should "disclose the risk ...
