Author Archive
Tech
House lawmaker demands answers from AT&T on recent data breach
Rep. Abigail Spanberger wants AT&T’s CEO to open up about the company’s incident response plans and a reported payment to hackers in exchange for deleting the stolen data.
Tech
Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Tech
Biden briefed on CrowdStrike IT outage as multiple federal systems impacted
Social Security offices closed on July 19 due to the incident. It will be “time-consuming” for all affected systems to undo the damage because the process is manual, one expert says.
Tech
US, allies take down Kremlin-backed AI bot farm
The bot farm allegedly originated from a deputy manager at RT — a Russian state-backed news agency — and spread disinformation on the X social media platform.
Management
Supreme Court sides with Biden admin over agencies' contact with social media firms
The decision now lifts potential legal burdens on federal agencies’ communications with social media companies about disinformation on their platforms.
Tech
Feds saw more cyberattacks but better detection last year, FISMA report says
11 major incidents were reported by agencies in FY2023.
Management
Former NSA head feels ‘really good’ about election security come November
Paul Nakasone, the recently retired head of NSA and CYBERCOM, said the intelligence community has everything it needs to combat election interference attempts later this year.
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Workforce
CISA would get millions for cyber workforce outreach to underserved communities under new bill
The measure comes amid concerns from cybersecurity officials and professionals over how workforce diversity gaps may threaten U.S. cyber defenses.
Management
FCC fines major wireless carriers $200M for illegally selling customer location data
Two wireless providers said they plan to appeal the fine.
Tech
Federal CIO defends Login security after health agency dropped it from grantee system
Clare Martorana doubled down on Login’s capabilities, saying the government “needs to continue to rely” on the tool.
Management
Biden signs extension of controversial spying program into 2026
The Section 702 authorities were reauthorized without the addition of a warrant requirement to review the communications of Americans caught up in foreign surveillance.
Oversight
HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft
Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.
Management
House advances spy power reauthorization bill without warrant measure
The bill — which represents a win for Biden administration policy objectives — will now be taken up in the Senate, with a week to go before the authority sunsets.
Oversight
Russian hackers accessed federal agencies' emails in Microsoft breach, CISA says
The alert comes a week after Microsoft was faulted in a Homeland Security Department report for fostering a security culture that enabled a similar China-backed cyberattack last year.
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Tech
Congress tries again for comprehensive data privacy bill
The bill would establish national data privacy standards, with the Federal Trade Commission crafting rules for enforcement.
Management
DOD stands up a new civilian-facing cyber policy office
The nominated head of the new Pentagon office is awaiting confirmation in Congress.
Pay & Benefits
State Department warns employees of fraud scheme targeting payroll systems
Hackers have been targeting annuity accounts to redirect payroll deposits.
Tech
U.S. accuses Chinese hackers of a 14-year campaign targeting government officials
The coordinated charges include sanctions on Chinese government-affiliated hackers and an up to $10 million reward for information about the defendants.
Tech
U.S. still finding victims of advanced China-linked hacking campaign, NSA official says
The Volt Typhoon hacking collective, backed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, has been working to burrow into sensitive U.S. systems, officials previously said.
Tech
Ex-NSA innovation chief’s new startup looks to future-proof federal agencies against cyberthreats
Kevin Keaton’s Eyris would fuse blockchain technologies into advanced security solutions to defend federal agencies, the Pentagon and others against cyber threats.
