Cybersecurity
User with Russian IP address tried to log into NLRB systems following DOGE access, whistleblower says
The blocked login attempts, detailed in an extensive whistleblower complaint filed to the Senate Intelligence Committee and others, may indicate foreign adversaries have begun leveraging DOGE inroads into sensitive federal systems.
How cyber vulnerabilities and workforce cuts threaten the crisis lifeline program
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline.
Top homeland security lawmaker calls for cautious cuts to CISA
“We have to be very careful about who and what we cut, because [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] does have a mission to overwatch our critical infrastructure and make sure the bad guys aren’t getting in,” said Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn.
CISA to make comprehensive staff cuts in coming days, people familiar say
The nation’s premier cybersecurity agency, which sits in the Department of Homeland Security, has been in the Trump administration’s crosshairs for some time.
Trump order put states at the forefront of cyber and natural disaster response
The executive order signed this week is part of a wider push to put the onus on states and localities to prepare for disasters, rather than the federal government.
CISA works to contact probationary employees for reinstatement after court order
Trump officials have vowed to downsize the nation’s leading cybersecurity agency. Ex-officials have said the moves would be harmful to national security.
OPM skirted agency norms in assessing the privacy of its new email system
Anonymous federal employees filed a lawsuit alleging that the new email system could be placing their sensitive personal information at risk.
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‘Robbery in progress': Small group protests at OPM over Musk allies’ access to federal employee personal data
Several associates of Elon Musk have been put in leadership positions at the Office of Personnel Management as well as the General Services Administration.
OPM awards $149M cyber, network operations support contract
The Office of Personnel Management wants to more heavily lean on cloud-based technologies and a zero trust approach.
US has ‘a lot of work to do’ on cyber defenses, departing cyber czar says
Outgoing National Cyber Director Harry Coker thinks his office needs more influence over the federal cyber budget but not necessarily more authority on offensive cyber operations.
Lawmakers request briefing from Treasury secretary on Chinese hack
The compromised third-party offering was a commercial remote services tool not listed in the marketplace for FedRAMP, the government’s cloud security compliance framework.
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Feds claims just 7% of available funds from OPM breach settlement, remainder returns to Treasury
Only a few thousand current federal workers, former employees and applicants cashed in from 2015 hack.
Chinese-sponsored hackers accessed Treasury documents in ‘major incident’
The incident comes in the final days of the Biden presidency and as officials work to root out China-tied hackers from U.S. telecommunications systems.
Could states’ cyber get trickier under a Trump administration?
Some Republicans have proposed eliminating CISA altogether, which could complicate information sharing efforts. More pressing, though, is the ending of federal cyber grants.
Senators call for watchdog to investigate TSA’s use of facial recognition
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, 12 senators warned that the deployment of facial biometrics at every U.S. airport could create “one of the largest federal surveillance databases overnight without authorization from Congress.”
Hackers nabbed emails between congressional staff and the Library of Congress
Affected staff were notified Friday afternoon, according to an internal email. Capitol Hill communications with the Congressional Research Service frequently involve confidential legislative drafts or policies still in the brainstorming stage.
CISA Director Jen Easterly to depart on Inauguration Day
Easterly and Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan are set to leave as an administration change casts doubt on the agency’s future.
Veterans’ military skills can help them fill cyber vacancies, State official says
The White House’s national cybersecurity strategy said that greater veteran participation in the U.S. cyber workforce can help enhance critical digital defenses.
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DHS issues internal comms guidance amid telecom breach investigation
The DHS Cyber Safety Review Board is already slated to investigate the hacking collective, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and its intrusion into telecommunications firms and wiretap infrastructure.
Pentagon puts a dent in cyber workforce vacancies
Nearly a quarter of the Defense Department’s cyber jobs went unfilled last year.
