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Joseph Marks

Senior Correspondent Joseph Marks covers cybersecurity for Nextgov. He previously covered cybersecurity for Politico, intellectual property for Bloomberg BNA and federal litigation for Law360. He covered government technology for Nextgov during an earlier stint at the publication and began his career at Midwestern newspapers covering everything under the sun. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a master’s in international affairs from Georgetown University.
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Cyber-Heavy DHS Reauthorization Bill Passes House

July 20, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow A bill that would reauthorize the Homeland Security Department for the first time in its nearly 15-year history and beef up cyber protections at ports and airports passed the House of Representatives Thursday. The reauthorization bill, which was long championed by House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, would direct...

Justice Department Takes Drug War to Dark Web Markets

July 20, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow Justice Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officials announced the takedown Thursday of AlphaBay, a dark web marketplace trafficking in drugs and child pornography that officials said was 10 times larger than the Silk Road marketplace law enforcement dismantled in 2013. More than 40,000 vendors offered 250,000 listings for drugs...

State Dept Will Still Run Int’l Cyber Policy, Even If It Closes Cyber Office

July 20, 2017 The State Department will remain the lead agency negotiating international rules of the road in cyberspace even if the State Department cyber coordinator’s office is moved or restructured, a top White House cyber official said Wednesday. White House Cyber Coordinator Rob Joyce also defended the government’s hard line against Russian...

Cyber Office or Not, State Dept. Will Shape International Cyber Rules, White House Official Says

July 19, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The State Department will remain the lead agency negotiating international rules of the road in cyberspace even if the State Department cyber coordinator’s office is moved or restructured, a top White House cyber official said Wednesday. White House Cyber Coordinator Rob Joyce also defended the government’s hard line against Russian...

Advisory Group: Before You Plug in that Smart Device, We Need to Have a Talk

July 18, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow An industry and government group approved an advisory document Tuesday outlining how makers of connected devices, such as smart toasters and baby monitors, should communicate with customers about security protections and vulnerabilities. Manufacturers should powwow with customers about whether devices can receive security updates, how those updates will be delivered...

Advisory Group Prepping ‘Moonshot’ Plan to Fight Botnets

July 18, 2017 An advisory group is preparing two separate reports on what the government can do to protect against armies of compromised zombie computers that carry out cyber mischief, known as botnets, a representative said Friday. The first report will focus on how existing technologies can be expanded or improved to prevent...

Top Cyber Diplomat Stepping Down

July 17, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The government’s top cyber diplomat will be leaving his post at the end of the month, a State Department official confirmed Monday. As the State Department’s first cyber coordinator, Chris Painter led a global push urging nations to adhere to rules of the road in cyberspace, such as not hacking...

Government Advisory Group Preps ‘Moonshot’ Plan to Fight Botnets

July 14, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow An advisory group is preparing two separate reports on what the government can do to protect against armies of compromised zombie computers that carry out cyber mischief, known as botnets, a representative said Friday. The first report will focus on how existing technologies can be expanded or improved to prevent...

Senator Seeks Answers on Poor IT Vetting at OPM

July 13, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow The top Democrat on the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee wants to know what steps the Office of Personnel Management is taking to get all of its information systems properly vetted. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., also wants to know by Aug. 3 when each of those steps will be completed, according...

Here’s Why a U.S.-Russia Cyber Working Group Could Do Some Good

July 12, 2017 FROM NEXTGOV arrow President Donald Trump first announced and then stepped back from a plan to consult with the Russian government on cybersecurity this week, prompting jeers from critics who say it could be dangerously counterproductive to sit down with America’s greatest cyber adversary. Trump’s idea was not all bad, however, numerous cyber...