Last month, the Department of Homeland Security joined Mitre Corp. and the SANS Institute provided an important service in highlighting the top 25 most dangerous software errors that lead to today’s most common security breaches.
The newly revised ranking calls out many of the mistakes made by developers while creating new code, such as SQL injection, OS command injection and buffer overflow. Keep reading →
The effort to modernize America’s electric grid is well underway, with nearly $8 billion in federal funding since 2009 and states across the country hastening to deploy everything from electronic smart meters for homes to regional sensors capable of detecting and responding to power outages.
But major privacy and security problems for the smart grid effort could be on the horizon and present a host of challenges to federal agencies, according to multiple smart grid technology and policy experts. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY:
This year Anonymous has become very well known after successfully compromising several web systems. The hacking collective known as Anonymous is thought to have more than 1,000 active members. This group recently released more than 1,000 stolen files that totaled hundreds of megabytes in size.
The digital documents are said to top 390 megabytes in size and contained reports related to NATO, the US Army and personnel files were posted for download and as proof of their efforts. Keep reading →
While 23 out of 24 major federal agencies now routinely use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to interact with the public, a new report by the Government Accountability Office released Thursday warned that only seven of the 23 agencies had taken necessary safeguards to protect against malicious activities.
The new report highlighted what amounts to mixed progress in agencies’ effort to use social media to inform and engage the the public, citing concerns in managing and identifying federal records, protecting personal information, and ensuring the security of federal information and the systems that host that information. Keep reading →
There are big jobs. Then there’s Chuck McGann’s job.
As the chief information security officer for the U.S. Postal Service, McGann is responsible for protecting the integrity of information and the information infrastructure used in operating one of the world’s largest enterprises. Keep reading →
Government cloud computing proponents claimed a victory yesterday with the news that all 17,000 General Services Administration employees had successfully migrated to a cloud computing-based email system.
The $6.7 million project, begun last December and officially completed this week, converted GSA’s employees from an aging IBM Lotus Notes software platform to a new Collaborative Office Solutions version of Google Apps for Government, a cloud-based software platform that among other features, gives employees access to their email on virtually any approved device. Keep reading →
The Department of Defense today launched a new website to highlight DoD’s first unified strategy for 
announced on July 14.
The website is a being used as a tool to help explain and consolidate DoD’s cybersecurity accomplishments and describe the Department’s efforts to move forward for military, intelligence and business operations in cyberspace. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY:
The death of Osama bin Laden has brought new threats of retaliatory strikes–including threats in cyber space.
Al Qaeda has called upon lone-wolf terrorists to launch attacks against Britain and the West. Not only are they calling for traditional acts of terror but also for what they have termed a “cyber jihad.” Keep reading →
A long-standing reliance on proprietary technology solutions and antiquated acquisition rules have left the Defense Department “pretty much in the stone age as far as IT is concerned,” the nation’s second highest ranking military officer said today.
Marine Gen. James Cartwright, outgoing vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said speeding up acquisition cycles is essential if the America is to maintain its military advantage. Keep reading →
Mobile Mania: Securing The New Frontier
By John LinkousThe traditional model of centralized applications and data are rapidly fading away as users continue to exploit the value of on-demand information regardless of geographic boundaries. From the user’s perspective, mobile technology is fantastic. Keep reading →