cybersecurity

Security Breaches: What To Watch For In 2013

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Contrary to the predictions of many security experts, who argue that cloud exploits, mobile device attacks and all-out cyber war will be among the most likely data breach threats governments and enterprises will face in 2013, researchers for the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) have reached a far different conclusion.

The most likely threats in 2013 will involve authentication attacks and failures, continued espionage and “hacktivism” attacks, Web application exploits and social engineering. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 7, 2013 at 11:00 AM

DOD, Microsoft Agree To Landmark Enterprise Licensing Deal

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The Defense Department has awarded a first of its kind joint enterprise licensing agreement for Microsoft collaboration, mobility, productivity and security tools. Valued at $617 million, the three-year agreement will allow the Army, Air Force and the Defense Information Systems Agency to begin using the latest versions of the company’s products.

The agreement creates a single framework providing all three organizations with a single, standardized way to access new Microsoft technologies. The contract also supports top DOD IT goals for data center consolidation, collaboration, cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing and big data, company officials said in a statement. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 4, 2013 at 4:33 PM

Best Of 2012: The Cloud

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Federal leaders cannot escape The Cloud.

It’s possible every conference on any federal leader’s 2012 calendar offered at least one session on the topic for very good reason.
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 /  Published December 26, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Intelligence Agencies Move Towards Single Super-Cloud

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The intelligence community is developing a single cloud computing network to allow all its analysts to access and rapidly sift through massive volumes of data. When fully complete, this effort will create a pan-agency cloud, with organizations sharing many of the same computing resources and information. More importantly, the hope is the system will break down existing boundaries between agencies and change their insular cultures.

As in the rest of the federal government, lower costs and higher efficiency are the primary reasons for the intelligence world’s shift to cloud computing, said Charles Allen, formerly Under Secretary of Homeland Security for intelligence and analysis, currently a principal with the Chertoff Group, in an interview with Breaking Defense, an affiliate of Breaking Gov. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 17, 2012 at 12:01 PM

ICAM Still Faces Bumpy Road For Government Smart Card Rollout

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What seemed like a simple objective, to develop and issue a standardized, electronically-verifiable identification card for civilian agency personnel, continues to encounter a barrage of technical and cultural challenges at a time when identification has become a critical component in the government’s efforts to embrace mobile and remote computing.

Despite the government’s aggressive push under the Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM) plan, only three departments are above minimum fielding levels and using the civilian personal identity verification (PIV) cards, said Paul Grant, director for cybersecurity policy in the Office of the DOD Chief Information Officer. And it remains unclear when the cards will be universally fielded across the civilian government. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 17, 2012 at 8:00 AM

UN Agency Opens International Internet Traffic To Government Scrutiny

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The United Nation’s International Telecommunications Union sent shock waves across the Internet with an agreement approved last night which would give countries a right to access international telecommunications services including Internet traffic.

(This story was updated a 4:30 p.m. ET to include additional reporting.) Keep reading →

 /  Published December 14, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Five Tips For Secure Mobile Access

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The Department of Defense is taking a leadership role in leveraging mobile device technology to improve information sharing, collaboration and efficiencies. In a recent press release, Teri Takai, DoD’s chief information officer, said “As today’s DoD personnel become increasingly mobile, a wide variety of devices offer unprecedented opportunities to advance the operational effectiveness of the DoD workforce This strategy will allow mobile devices across the department to converge towards a common vision and approach.”

There are significant challenges that await agencies, like the DoD, that are looking to implement mobile strategies and “bring your own devices” (BYOD) policies – the most daunting being security. In order to overcome various security challenges, agencies must take several factors into consideration. The five tips found in this piece will outline crucial items for agencies to consider when adopting mobile practices for their employees: Keep reading →

 /  Published December 14, 2012 at 7:00 AM

DoD Too Cautious: ‘We Have To Be Willing To Fail,’ Says Flournoy

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Michele Flournoy, oft rumored as the next Secretary of Defense, called the military’s elaborate planning process “stale,” its training too risk-averse, and its corporate culture in danger of a new “Vietnam syndrome” where it willfully forgets the lessons of the last decade of guerrilla war.

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This article comes courtesy of our colleagues at Breaking Defense. Read Otto Kriesher‘s take on the views of Chuck Hagel, who is also being considered for the Secretary of Defense post.
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 /  Published December 13, 2012 at 11:45 AM

DoD To Adopt Dutch Public Key System To Support Foreign Military Sales

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The Defense Department is planning to accept a European-developed identification standard that will allow allied military personnel and contractors to access secure military networks under specific circumstances.

Multinational access considerations are part of a draft memo from DOD chief information officer Teresa Takai, said Paul Grant, director of cybersecurity policy in the DOD CIO’s office. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 13, 2012 at 8:00 AM

How The Fiscal Cliff Will Impact Cyber Priorities in 2013

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My perspective on the outlook for cyber initiatives is quite different heading into the New Year than in past years.

While there are always budgetary uncertainties and looming cuts in government IT spending, this year, we face an unprecedented financial uncertainty as our nation stands on the edge of a fiscal cliff. That will impact not only the resources we have to invest in technology, but how people work and live. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 10, 2012 at 3:00 PM
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