National Governors Association launches state cyber policy academy

Five states plan to participate in a new cybersecurity policy academy sponsored by the National Governors Association.

The workshop aims to help officials update their state policies so they meet rapidly evolving cybersecurity threats, the group announced Thursday. Sessions will be run by the organization’s staff and private sector partners as well as Govs. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia and Rick Snyder of Michigan, who also lead the NGA’s working group on cyber — the Resource Center for State Cybersecurity.

For the workshop, representatives from Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada and Oregon will work together to tackle specific cybersecurity policy and strategy challenges. NGA holds other academies that cover various topics throughout the year.

McAuliffe, who also serves as co-chairman of the NGA, said the academy will help states improve their cybersecurity posture and prepare for looming cyberthreats. For the full article click here 

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New Jersey Takes Consolidated, Fusion Center-Style Approach to Cybersecurity

In post-9/11 America, states have accepted more responsibility in protecting their citizens. And as the firm grip of technology tightens around our daily lives and the most basic operations of government, one state is stepping up to the proverbial plate as a leader in the cybersecurity field.

New Jersey is perhaps best known for the “Parkway” and former presidential hopeful Gov. Chris Christie. But some might argue that it should be getting attention for its novel fusion center approach to cybersecurity.

Eleven months ago, the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) took root within the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) as a counterpunch to the escalating online threats posed by a widening cast of bad actors. The mission: Find the threats, mitigate the threats and share the intelligence gathered in the process with everyone else. For the full article click here 

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Philippines and the world: Cybersecurity in numbers

MANILA, Philippines – The importance of, and threats against, cybersecurity became an important issue overnight in the country due to the recent Commission on Elections data breach that resulted in personal information of about 55 million voters being leaked.

To Filipinos, defacement of websites to push a message of protest has perhaps been the most common cybersecurity threat. But other types of cyberattacks have been attempted not just in the country, but globally for years now. (READ: The state of cybersecurity in the Philippines)

For example, did you know that there were 781 recorded data breach incidents in 2015 alone? In the Philippines, meanwhile, most of the complaints received by authorities are related to online scams. For the full article click here 

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Community Perspectives: InfraGard business training on cyber security to be held in May

Forward Sheridan is focusing on a positive perspective and opportunity. Continued economic projections and impacts from the reduction of coal and the replacement of electrical generation capacity by natural gas is impacting our neighbors and will be impacting Sheridan both directly and indirectly. I think it might be a good vision to look back at two intervals in our recent pass. Gillette/Campbell county were and are very good neighbors. In the mid- 1970’s Campbell County worked and successfully took advantage of the oil embargo and the aggressive development of surface coal as an energy source for our country. And they did. Campbell and Converse counties will remain as effectively low cost producers of sub-bituminous coal. Secondly Sheridan had tough times in the early to mid 1980’s again around coal. We survived and came out stronger and fortunately we have diversified our economy. The energy frame work is changing but the value of the coal is dynamic – what is static is the ability of Wyoming coal producers to mine coal rapidly, effectively and safely. This, in the long run, will rebound. There will be a market re-calibration on energy, but coal will not be eliminated from the energy source portfolio. It is unlikely to be so big and rapid, but coal is a solid source of fuel.

Business continuation demands understanding business risk. Forward Sheridan and some of our partners (Chamber, ACT, Holly, PB Communications) are hosting our second InfraGard training on May 5 at the Sheridan Inn. InfraGard is the FBI outreach on infrastructure. This is specific training is on cyber security – computers and an introduction to some of the resources available to our community. The value add is that Mike Bobbitt from the FBI is one of the speakers. He is familiar with Sheridan and is in the upper management of the Denver FBI office. Secondly, David Jemmett from GenResults is speaking. He is a nationally recognized expert on cybersecurity. Again, he is familiar with Sheridan. This simply is an easy opportunity for a comprehensive introduction to cyber risk. As a side note, recent legislation is asking our community government to begin evaluating its risk. For the full article click here 

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Readout From A US Treasury Spokesperson On Deputy Secretary Raskin’s Meeting Today With Financial And Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) Senior Leadership On Cybersecurity

Today, Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin hosted top officials of the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) to discuss cybersecurity policy issues in the financial sector. Treasury chairs this committee of federal and state financial regulators and organizations that coordinate on critical infrastructure matters in the financial sector.

Through these regular meetings, FBIIC senior leadership coordinates inter-agency cybersecurity policy developments, including strengthening information sharing on cyber vulnerabilities, threats and incidents; furthering the adoption of cybersecurity best practices; and enhancing the financial sector’s ability to respond to and recover from cyber incidents.

At today’s meeting, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco provided an overview of the current cyber threat landscape and Administration priorities in cybersecurity, including efforts to better secure government and critical infrastructure as well as share information about cyber threats. FBIIC members also discussed ongoing progress in addressing the cybersecurity challenges faced by the financial sector by leveraging the unique authorities, capabilities, and insights of each FBIIC agency and organization. The group also discussed ways to increase sharing of cybersecurity information, efforts to facilitate coordination on cybersecurity supervisory policies and approaches, and ways to build additional response and recovery capabilities. For the full article click here 

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Public, private partnerships key in cybersecurity safety

Preparing for a cybersecurity threat shouldn’t be relegated to the techies of the world, but also to emergency management professionals and, really, to the public at large, a panel of state and private partners said at the annual Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference on April 21.

The panel was made up of state Cyber Security Manager Rob Lang of the Washington Emergency Management Division, Lt. Col. Tom Muehleisen of the Washington National Guard, Dan Banks, the chief planner of the state Emergency Management Division and Jodie Ryan, CEO of private firm Celerity Response.

“The threat is real and persistent,” Lang said. “Today we want to talk about the plan. When most folks talk about cybersecurity, they think of IT. They think of the techies. But if you look back to policy and doctrine, back to 2009, you’ll see speeches from politicians, including President Obama, talking about the public safety aspects. … It’s a community issue. It’s something we all need to have a piece on.”

The state Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan is the go-to document for most emergencies that state and local officials will face. In March of last year, cyber security threats were formally added to the plan as an incident annex, providing a basic coordination framework similar to existing emergency management frameworks for state, local and tribal governments, the private sector and operators of cyber critical infrastructure to manage a significant cyber event when it occurs. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity Venture Capital: What Investors Can Learn from the Industry’s Top Venture Capitalists

The cybersecurity market is growing fast, with great opportunities for growth and innovation. This bodes well for individuals looking to invest in an up and coming tech market. For indeed, savvy investors don’t just want to follow trends, they want to help create them.

That’s why the Investing News Network turned to Seculert CEO Richard Greene. With over 25 years of experience in this industry, Greene knows exactly what venture capitalists are looking for in the cybersecurity space. This information is valuable for investors of all sorts, as they seek to navigate this up and coming industry.

Cybersecurity venture capital scene

Greene is quite the expert when it comes to private investment and venture capital having funded, run and sold several companies, including Securify, AppCentral, and Seculert. So what does the cybersecurity venture capital landscape look like right now? Greene explains, “in the security space, VC money hasn’t dried up. If you have the right product and there’s a market demand, you can continue to grow regardless of economic conditions.” In particular, “VCs want to invest in companies that are addressing [the] universal problem [of cybersecurity] and providing a solution to the ever-evolving threat landscape.” All told, “investors are seeing a high demand for this type of technology, and believe that demand will correlate to value creation in the equity markets.” For the full article click here 

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System cybersecurity must begin with engineering, Air Force general says

The Air Force needs to look beyond cybersecurity as a battle between desktop computers and start thinking about how it affects aircraft and systems, a top general said Thursday.

“In the Air Force, we are behind the power curve in understanding the implications to our aircraft of cybersecurity,” said Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, the head of Air Force Materiel Command.

“The view is: Okay, if it’s not plugged into the network, it’s safe,” she continued. “But there are so many connections to the network, to our satellites, to our aircraft and our other systems that we have to be thinking about cyber when you’re in an F-15. An F-15 can be as vulnerable to a cyber attack.”

Speaking to reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Center for Media and Security in Washington. Pawlikowski said the service is seeing more advanced cyberattacks than ever before. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity: State of the Union

With our quickly evolving digital world there is nothing more important to a financial institution than cybersecurity. In today’s video blog I outline the current state of security and the various new ways nefarious actors are attempting to penetrate our cybersecurity defenses. If there was one domain where radical innovation is needed, it is in cybersecurity. This is Part 1 in a series of three posts. (9 mins.) For the full article click here 

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Hitting back at hackers

Over the past two decades, industrialised nations have been systematically pillaged by enterprising nations and criminal organisations that had the foresight to see the opportunities arising from the growth of the internet. The amount of money, personal information and intellectual property stolen annually is staggering.

Last week the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched a new cyber security strategy to meet “the dual challenges of the digital age — advancing and protecting our interests online” and announced $230 million in government funding for 33 new initiatives that would result in 100 new jobs to “boost the government’s cybersecurity capacity and capabilities.”

The government’s investment in cybersecurity “complements the $400 million over the next decade — and roughly 800 specialist jobs — the government has committed to improve Defence’s cyber and intelligence capabilities through the 2016 Defence White Paper.”

Cyberattacks now cost nations about $US400 billion annually according to Lloyds of London CEO Inga Beale and companies pay about $US2.5bn in premiums on insurance policies to protect companies from losses resulting from cybercrime. IBM Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Kerry Purcell stated that IBM research indicates that “the average data breach results in losses of nearly $3.8m, 23 per cent more than two years ago” and in the last year a billion personal data records have been stolen. For the full article click here 

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More money doesn’t guarantee success in cyber security race

Over the next four years, Australia’s federal government will invest more than A$230 million on cyber security. Put another way, A$57.5 million per annum will be taken from one part of the federal budget and spent instead on cyber security.

The government’s long-awaited Cyber Security Strategy does not detail how these funds will be spent across the “five themes of action” included in the strategy.

Yet this information is curiously available from other sources. Some A$38.8 million is expected to be spent relocating the same Australian Cyber Security Centre where the cyber security strategy was initially announced two years ago.

Other large line items, not detailed in the strategy document but reported elsewhere, include A$5.3 million annually to increase the capabilities of Australia’s Computer Emergency Response Team, A$11.8 million annually to establish joint cyber-threat sharing centres and an online threat sharing portal, and A$7.6 million to create a national cyber security innovation network. For the full article click here 

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Councils must prepare cyber security strategies in face of growing attack threats

Hackers will be increasingly likely to target local government, who needs to be involved in preparing national cyber security strategies, Socitm has warned in a new policy briefing.

The briefing says that although local government has not been a target for large-scale cyber-attacks so far, the risks are changing and growing as local government becomes increasingly important in delivery of public services, more data is shared between councils and the ‘Internet of Things’, in which everyday objects have internet connectivity, becomes a reality.

Local government must play an active role in tackling this, including being involved in the new National Cyber Security Centre and in developing the National Cyber Security Strategy.

Socitm said this was necessary because “a national cyber-attack could be initiated locally, or local services could be penetrated and crippled, requiring a national response”.

They added that there is already a good baseline for cyber security in local government, with accreditation systems for public services network, payment card industry and related technology and data handling requirements, and professional advice being sought by local authorities. For the full article click here 

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Symantec Announces CEO Transition Plan Following Company’s Successful Move to Focus Exclusively on Cybersecurity

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ:SYMC) today announced that Michael A. Brown will be stepping down as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Brown will continue to serve as CEO and as a director of the company until a successor has been appointed. The Symantec Board of Directors has begun the search for the Company’s next CEO.

To facilitate a continued focus on the Company’s strategic priorities throughout the CEO search and transition, the Board has created an Office of the President composed of: Ajei S. Gopal, who is joining the Company as Interim President and Chief Operating Officer; Thomas J. Seifert, Symantec’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Scott C. Taylor, Symantec’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. The Office of the President is expected to remain in place until a new CEO has joined the Company.

On behalf of Symantec’s Board, Chairman Daniel H. Schulman said, “We thank Mike for guiding Symantec through a critical period of transition as President and CEO. Under his leadership, Symantec has successfully executed against the five priorities of its transformation, including divesting Veritas, developing a new product roadmap in enterprise security, improving our cost structure, strengthening our executive team, and continuing to return significant cash to shareholders. Given our solid financial foundation and clear path forward as the leader in cybersecurity, this is the right time to transition leadership for Symantec’s next chapter of growth. We appreciate Mike’s continued support as the Board conducts a thoughtful and comprehensive search for Symantec’s next CEO.” For the full article click here 

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Faculty member to lead cybersecurity panel in Washington, D.C.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State faculty member internationally recognized as a technology policy expert and who has been named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential figures in technology, will moderate a panel focused on cybersecurity May 2 during theCampaignTech East Conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Sascha Meinrath, the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications, will moderate the session titled “Getting Serious About Cybersecurity.”

The two-day conference (May 2-3) provides perspective on digital strategies, marketing tools and technologies for this campaign cycle and beyond.

Meinrath joined Penn State in 2015. He also serves as director of X-Lab, an innovative think tank focusing on the intersection of vanguard technologies and public policy.  For the full article click here 

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BlackBerry’s Turnaround CEO Dials Up Cybersecurity, And It Answers

Chen is best known as the former turnaround CEO at Sybase, Inc. — where he resuscitated an aging and ailing database maker. Under his leadership, Sybase reorganized around next generation technologies and achieved 55 consecutive quarters of profitability and sold for $5.8 billion to SAP in 2010.

Now Chen is at it again. After BlackBerry’s spectacular fall from grace in the smartphone hardware market a few years ago, the company is looking every bit the enterprise software and security company it set out to become when its new CEO joined in 2013.

On BlackBerry’s earnings call earlier this month — which is transcribed by Seeking Alpha — Chen recapped the past fiscal year: “In FY16, we achieved some significant business accomplishments. We completed the acquisition of WatchDox, AtHoc, Good Technology and Encription to drive the cross-platform software and Internet of Things strategy. We launched two new devices, Leap and Priv. Priv represents BlackBerry’s first Android device and supports our cross-platform strategy and our ability to provide a secure end-to-end mobile platform for Android in the enterprise.”

The acquisitions (which are now divisions or product lines inside the company) and product launches paint a picture of the new BlackBerry. For the full article click here 

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Local students win UK cybersecurity competition

A team of Bayside students has won the UK-wide CyberCenturion 2016 competition following an “intense” day of competitions held yesterday at Bletchley Park.

The competition pitches teams of young computer programmers from across the UK to compete in tackling cybersecurity challenges.

The Head of Physics at Bayside secondary school, Steward Harrison, led Team G-Sec members Peter Zagura, Michael Cruz, Jared Cruz, Jan Azzopardi, Aaron Baw, Abdullah Shuja and Louis Smalls to the win.

Speaking to the Chronicle just after the result was announced, Mr Harrison said he and the students were “right now trying to find our feet and process what has actually happened.”

“We were all confident we would do well but we did not know this would happen. We are very happy.” For the full article click here 

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The state of cybersecurity in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government seems to be a favorite target of hacking, given the number of defaced websites in recent years.

Following in the footsteps of so-called hacktivists, some have resorted to breaching systems to voice their concerns to government.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act in 2012 controversy alone attracted numerous cyberattacks from subgroups allegedly attached to Anonymous Philippines. Hackers defaced at least 20 government websites when the new law took effect in October that year.

The group went on to hack more than 100 government websites to protest several issues – including the slow Internet and the Mamasapano encounter which both erupted in 2015. On March 27 this year, Anonymous Philippines breached the Commission on Elections’ website to push them to use the security features of the vote-counting machines in the coming May elections. For the full article click here 

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Community College Cyber Summit (3CS) Closing Cybersecurity Skills Gap

How can academia supply the United States with the thousands of cybersecurity technicians needed to protect its networks, infrastructure, governmental institutions and people? It has long been known that community colleges can close the cybersecurity skills gap and TheCommunity College Cyber Summit (3CS) is doing just that by bringing educators together July 22-24 in Pittsburgh, PA.

“We need hundreds of community colleges to get into the cybersecurity education game to offer degrees, certificates, workforce development programs and close ties to industry,” states Dr. Robert Spear, 3CS Chair. “If you want to help this nation protect itself from cyberattacks, plug our vulnerabilities and build a vibrant cybersecurity workforce, then you and your college need to be present at 3CS, sharing your ideas, meeting like-minded individuals and learning the best tools and techniques.”

Community colleges are influential in teaching a variety of cybersecurity-related subjects. 3CS educates the teachers and leaders at these schools and focuses on the role of cybersecurity in all technology fields. Not currently involved in cybersecurity? There are three different tracks to fit all community college needs, not just those with cybersecurity programs: colleges and faculty new to cybersecurity; people who teach cybersecurity safe practices, principles and hands-on skills to technicians; and those who teach those skills to people outside the IT field. This is the best venue to learn about this exciting and ever-changing field.     For the full article click here 

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DarkMatter and Symantec to Provide Next-generation Cyber Security Solutions and Services

DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), today announced it is entering a partnership arrangement with Symantec Corporation, (NASDAQ: SYMC), a global leader in information protection and security software, to provide security solutions and services to help customers navigate the complex world of threats and cyber-crime.

DarkMatter will enable customers to leverage business opportunities, reduce costs and improve productivity through the combination of its industry expertise and Symantec’s security technologies. Organisations will benefit from a comprehensive portfolio of unified cyber security services, including consultation, in the areas of Information & Threat Protection; Governance, Risk and Compliance; and Threat Intelligence & Cyber Security.

DarkMatter and Symantec’s relationship will provide customers in the UAE with unique, simplified, anytime, anywhere services. Furthermore, the newly developed partner portfolio will educate organisations allowing them to adhere to today’s multiple cyber industry regulatory and compliance laws – crucial to mitigate against today’s ever-evolving threat landscape. For the full article click here 

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Cyber Attacks on Small Businesses on the Rise

More than ever before, cyber crooks are targeting small businesses, law enforcement, members of Congress, and top cybersecurity experts say. It’s not just the blue chip companies or governments that are under fire.

It’s now small mom-and-pop businesses of all stripes — retail shops, leisure activity businesses, hotels, health clinics, even colleges are getting hammered by cyber criminals. And it’s pushing many entrepreneurs to the verge of bankruptcy.

Small business cybersecurity is now a top priority of the House Committee on Small Business, which conducted hearings on the dangers of cyber-attacks on small businesses last week.

Cybersecurity firm Symantec now says that cyberthieves have been increasingly targeting small businesses over the last four years. Cyber hackers view small businesses as a soft, easy mark versus big blue chip companies which have ramped up their cyber firewalls, said Sian John, a chief strategist at Symantec. For the full article click here 

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The week in security: Cybersecurity strategy enlists private sector; AI to complement human security intelligence

The government’s long-awaited cybersecurity policy finally dropped along with a $230m funding commitment and a determination to draw more heavily on academic and private-sector resources.

Braggadocio amongst hackers is nothing new, but the tell-all by the person who compromised Hacking Team’s network is being flagged as mandatory reading for all sorts of people who noted the takedown of the notorious hacking team with even a hint of interest.

Equally confident are white-hat hacker teams that are increasingly being employed to test company network defences. One team that has been stepping up its efforts in Australia, says that its members “ always get their man” while startup Verodin’s business is based on launching simulated attack on live networks.

Some were wondering whether better security might not come from the combination of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Similarly, even as researchers warm to the potential for AI to build on the efforts of human analysts, one financial-security specialist believes machine learning can be applied to online payments. For the full article click here 

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Will the government’s Cyber Security Growth Centre succeed?

The government’s recent announcements of significant cyber security investments and the establishment of a Cyber Security Growth Centre are very encouraging.

The government has nine funding priorities for science and research and heading into 2016 cyber was the lowest on the list of priorities, with the lowest planned expenditure.

The total injection of $231.1m into cyber security, including the $30.5 million being earmarked through the National Innovation and Science Agenda, represents a substantial elevation of information security as a priority. For the full article click here 

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Guest column: Cybersecurity education a win-win for Idaho

The need for a skilled workforce exceeds our current capacity — and so we continue to grow and expand, writes Michael Haney.

By Michael Haney

Threats to the virtual world can be threats to the physical world – especially in the energy sector. In recent years, Internet-based attacks have hit electric grids, dams, oil producers and nuclear facilities.

One of the earliest warnings that such attacks were possible happened here in Idaho in 2007, when Idaho National Lab researchers launched a virtual attack against a diesel generator and caused it to physically destroy itself.

These systems involve equipment, resources and human lives. The risks are high, and the threat is real.

The key to securing the cyber-physical world is an educated workforce, ready to respond to threats and secure our infrastructure. But a study published in April noted that none of the top 10 U.S. university computer science programs requires students to take a cybersecurity class, and three offer no cybersecurity courses. For the full article click here 

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Singtel opens facility to test, train cybersecurity skills

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has opened a new facility aimed at training enterprises to address cybersecurity threats and testing their networks.

Launched Tuesday, the Singtel Cyber Security Institute spans more than 10,000 square feet and provides skills development and education programmes customised to fit the needs of its enterprise clients, according to the Singapore telco.

These training modules would cater to a range of executives and skills, including c-suite management as well as technology and operational professionals. C-level staff would be trained in cyber threat awareness, risk management and crisis communications readiness, among others, while ops team members would be trained in defence and response capabilities.

Singtel’s group enterprise CEO Bill Chang said: “Based on our engagements with companies in Singapore, more than 85 percent do not have robust cyber response plans or the opportunity to conduct realistic drills to test and sharpen such plans.” For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity Education Still Poor In The United States

Cybersecurity education in the United States is still weak, a research revealed. Despite the increasing threats brought by skilled cybercriminals, universities in the country are still lagging behind.

According to CIO, hacks of high-profile website have become common in the recent years scaring businesses and agencies about the information they store online. Many have improved the security features on their websites but cybercriminals prove that they can get into any form of security.

The study conducted by CloudPassage revealed that a look into 122 universities in the US showed that they had poor performance in terms of cybersecurity education. “In a world of escalating threats and attacks — universities have a responsibility to address security with their students,” CloudPassage CEO Robert Thomas.

It was further disclosed in the study that the top 10 computer science programs in the US do not include a cybersecurity course. Only three schools reportedly require students to take a cybersecurity course to graduate. For the full article click here 

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Give Your System a Security Checkup

An IT professional, especially a cybersecurity professional at any level of an organization, knows the absolute importance of creating a system that is free from vulnerability and able to work without a cybersecurity threat looming over it. This means that you need to prepare your system against just about everything, and the only way to do that is to know every potential vulnerability.

This is why you need to do a regular (preferably quarterly) cybersecurity checkup that handles every aspect of your network and system. This isn’t necessarily an easy process and will take time and resources, but the complex requirements are well worth the efforts. After doing a checkup, you will be able to better allocate cybersecurity resources and train staff with increased efficiency. It is a vital process for the integrity of your system.

Here are some of the main tests and analyses you will want to make when you are performing a security review of systems for both yourself and your organization:

Double Checking the Basics

Any cybersecurity effort should start with the basics, regardless of the assumptions that you might have about your team or settings. While a professional may have implemented basic tools and measures as part of an initial plan or set of policies regarding the system, those guidelines may not always be followed. For the full article click here

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Rep. Jim Langevin Backs FDA Strategy to Secure Medical Devices

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) has voiced support for the Food and Drug Administration‘s draft guidance for manufacturers to protect medical technology products against cybersecurity threats.

Langevin, co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, said Thursday he believes the guidance FDA issued in January can serve as a tool for the safe implementation of networked medical devices.

“It is critical that medical device manufacturers do everything possible to address vulnerabilities and protect patients, and I applaud the FDA for tackling a complex challenge that will affect the health care industry now and well into the future,” he told the agency in a letter published Thursday. For the full article click here

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Locking Cyberthreats Out Of Cincinnati Businesses

Morphick’s Tony Hudson is somewhat of a superhero. When one of the Norwood company’s clients, big or small, reports a cyber threat and investigators deem it to be real, Hudson jumps into action. “I have a suit in my car so that if I have to go somewhere I can change into it like superman.”

There is no shortage of threats. Here are some of the top ones for 2016.

Cybercrime is becoming such a big issue that the global cybersecurity market is projected to reach $170 billion by 2020. Many U.S. companies are unprepared and more than half report in surveys they have been victims.

Justin Hall, director of security services for CBTS, helped build Morphick’s team before the company spun off. He says, “It’s no longer the nerdy kid in the basement. The ones that we are most concerned about are the ones that offer the most serious threat and are paid by a government.” For the full article click here

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Recto wants to hire ‘bored’ Pinoy hackers to ensure cybersecurity

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Ralph Recto on Sunday called on the executive department to hire “bored” Filipino information technology experts as “cyber-commandos” who will improve and ensure cybersecurity of the government websites.

Recto seeks to hire Filipino IT experts as white hackers or what Techopedia describe as computer security specialists who break into protected systems and networks to test and assess their security with permission from their employers. These hackers expose the vulnerabilities of the website before the malicious hackers or black hat hackers detect them and exploit them.

The senator, sponsor of the Congress-approved bill on forming the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), issued the appeal after the National Bureau of Investigation arrested the 23-year-old Information Technology fresh graduate, Paul Biteng, responsible for defacing the website of the Commission on Elections. Biteng claimed he hacked the website out of boredom. For the full article click here

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Harlan Ullman: Cybersecurity is not just a defense issue

As often happens with difficult issues in America, by default, the Department of the Defense has become the U.S. government’s lead agency on “cyber.” There are good reasons for this.

The Pentagon is the best-resourced department in government with people and dollars. It fully recognizes the military dangers, as well as opportunities posed by cyber. And it can act decisively.

But military solutions rarely apply to society at large. And, so far, no precise definition of “cyber” nor a unified strategy and plan exists for relating cyber to this broader societal context. Indeed, when asked, most people regard cyber as part of the Internet and some form of computer “hacking” for illegal gain or simply sport. For the full article click here

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Forcepoint 2016 Global Threat Report WebCast

Title: Forcepoint 2016 Threat Report

Date: Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour

Forcepoint Security Labs® has produced their annual Threat Report – the must-read analysis of what’s really happening in the cyber landscape.

Evolving IT environments have made the past perimeter-based security model obsolete. Resource-strapped security teams are struggling to keep up with more and more challenging threats. A new, holistic approach is needed to give enterprises a 360-degree view with real-time analysis and meaningful alerts that anticipate and communicate the threat landscape so customers can act quickly to defeat the most determined adversary.

Using in-depth insights from the Forcepoint Security Labs ThreatSeeker® Intelligence Cloud, Michael Crouse, Office of the CISO, will share the latest threats gathered from more than three billion data points per day in 155 countries around the world, and what they mean for agencies while providing operational and technical recommendations to navigate the ever-changing threat landscape.

Learn more about:

• Forcepoint’s first-hand case study on protecting a cybersecurity company during an acquisition.
• How to avoid becoming an inadvertent insider threat.
• How threats are evolving in capability while traditional security perimeters dissolve.

This is a must-attend webcast. All attendees will receive a FREE copy of the full 2016 Threat Report.

To Register and View More Details Click Here

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NSA Designates Daytona State a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Daytona State College a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

The four-year designation is based on the college meeting stringent academic criteria and distinguishing its strengths in cybersecurity and cyberforensics training.

“DSC is the first state college in Florida to receive the four-year designation for its combined AS- and BS-level cybersecurity curriculum,” said Dr. Philip Craiger, a professor with the college’s School of Engineering Technology. “This validates the strength of our AS and BS cyber programs, and students enrolled in our courses can be assured they are getting a solid education.”

In addition to offering an Advanced Technical Certificate in Cybersecurity and Cyberforensics, the college also offers acybersecurity component in its Associate of Science in Network Systems Technology degree as well as a cybersecurity and cyberforensics specialization in its Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree. For the full article click here 

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Champion Technology Names Execs For Cybersecurity Startup

Santa Monica-based Champion Technology Company, a developer of cybersecurity software, has named Jess Richter as Chief Revenue Officer, and David Aucsmith and Michael Kluse both as as Senior Advisors. Richter was most recently VP Strategic Alliances at Lieberman Software; Aucsmith is co-chairman of the FBI’s Information Technology Study Group, a member of the Secret Service Task Force on Computer Aided Counterfeiting, a member of the President’s Task Force on National Defense and Computer Technology and a member of the Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid Senior Industry Review Group. Kluse was most recently chief executive of the Department of Energy (DoE) National Research Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Champion Technology is developing cybersecurity automation and orchestration software. For the full article click here 

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Malware, phishing, cybersecurity: terms you need to know

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is facing possibly the biggest data leak yet.

On March 28, LulzSec Pilipinas released data stolen from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) website that includes the personal information of 55 million Filipino voters. Weeks later, on April 21, another website made the data searchable, but this was eventually taken down through the efforts of Philippine authorities in cooperation with their US counterparts.

Now that the threat of hacking has become a concern for most Filipinos, Rappler defines the common terms associated with hacking and cyber threats. This may come in handy in securing not just your computer system but also your personal information. (READ: How to protect your computer vs cyberattacks)

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity, according to the United States National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS), refers to the process which enables the protection of systems and important personal or corporate data from “damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation.” For the full article click here 

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Two plead guilty in IRS data breach

The government has secured two guilty pleas in the recent data breach that exposed the sensitive information of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers.

A husband-and-wife team pleaded guilty to playing a role in the breach of the Internal Revenue Service’s “Get Transcript” system, in which digital scammers used people’s personal details to access IRS accounts and obtain sensitive tax data. The duo that pleaded guilty, Anthony Alika and Sonia Alika, were part of a team that used this tax information to file for fraudulent tax refunds that were eventually transferred to bank accounts they controlled, authorities said.

For his part in the scheme, Anthony Alika pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering. Sonia Alika pleaded guilty to illegally structuring their illicit cash withdrawals to evade bank reporting requirements. For the full article click here 

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Creating trust in the digital world

The digital world is full of rapidly expanding opportunities for innovation. Businesses, governments and individuals in the Middle East, where internet and digital usage is fairly high, are looking at ways to reap the benefits it can offer. From creating new markets and new products, to developing a better understanding of consumers and citizens and finding different ways of connecting with them, the digital world offers enormous potential.

Unfortunately, in the rush for companies to become the frontrunners in the digital world, many precautions have been overlooked and risks underestimated. The realisation that there is a flip side, and that the digital world also offers great potential for exploitation by criminals and others wanting to cause trouble, has come too late.

Cyber incidents are often announced as sensational and dramatic events — massive breaches, with systems and sites becoming inoperable, resulting in sudden consumer inconvenience or damage. The headlines focus on the large-scale events where millions of account details are stolen, reams of confidential information leaked online, intellectual property stolen and systems damaged. This kind of news creates distrust in terms of consumer confidence in the digital world. For the full article click here 

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A Business Case For Funding Your Federal Insider Threat Program

WHITEPAPER

The insider threat is a dangerous risk to government agencies and its most sensitive data. Monitoring the behaviors internally and identifying when bad is bad based on access, roles and actions is not a luxury government agencies can afford to go without.

Read our detailed whitepaper on building a case for funding your federal insider threat program and the necessary steps to establishing a successful security posture against such threats.

Get your copy of the report today! 

Source : http://ift.tt/1VNA9dd

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Public service cant afford star players in team sport of cyber security

The federal agencies responsible for cyber security say their joined-up approach is starting to pay dividends, but challenges remain around building relationships with industry, and retaining staff with sought-after specialist skills.

Senior officials from the inter-agency Australian Cyber Security Centre recognise the worldwide skills shortage in the field is its biggest challenge. The agencies represented in the ACSC run a small number of cadetships that can lead to tertiary studies and sometimes a job with the centre, and contribute to promoting science, technology, engineering and maths careers — collectively known as STEM — in high schools.

ACSC co-ordinator Clive Lines, a deputy director of the Australian Signals Directorate, said recruitment was still an issue for the government agencies because they can’t compete against private sector salaries for staff with more advanced skills. For the full article click here 

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NIST Poised To Release Cyber Security Guidelines To Help Hospitals

New best practices are “imminent” according to one official.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is poised to release new best practices guidelines for cybersecurity to help hospitals cope with threats, according to Ronald Ross, NIST fellow, SecureWorld reported.

NIST currently offers a cybersecurityframework developed for the federal government to help understand, select, and then implement security controls. Ross compared the framework to a massive catalog of privacy and security controls that can help safeguard an organization from hostile cyber attacks.

The forthcoming guidance will seek to help healthcare organizations address security even while certain things remain outside of their control, like operating systems or data bases.Ross told Healthcare IT, “The best way to describe the concept is like this: when you fly on an airplane or cross a bridge, you do so because you trust the airplanes we fly and the bridges we cross, you have confidence in the people who designed and built them.” The guidance thus also will provide best practices for building software and systems that are secure and trustworthy. For the full article click here 

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BoardProspects.com and Scott Goldman Team Up to Provide Cybersecurity Information for Board Directors

Cybersecurity Information in Daily Alerts, Updates and Bi-Weekly Articles Will Inform Directors and C-Level Executives About Current Attacks and Protective Measures for Their Companies

CALABASAS, CA–(Marketwired – Apr 22, 2016) – BoardProspects.com, the online destination for recruitment for board members, prospective board members and corporations has teamed up with Scott Goldman, noted technology thought-leader and cybersecurity patentee, to provide regular information and updates about cybersecurity issues tailored to the needs of Board Directors and C-Level executives. Mr. Goldman, CEO of TextPower, will be publishing a bi-weekly article for the website’s members and answering questions in online forums about how current cybersecurity threats and challenges affect Directors and how the latest hacks and intrusions could impact their companies.

“As an independent Board Director, cybersecurity expert and widely published author, Scott is the ideal contributor to the growing body of knowledge on our site,” said Mark Rogers, Founder and CEO of BoardProspects.com. “Our members aren’t interested in the acronym-intense world of cybersecurity tools and measures; what they want to know is how a threat or hack could affect their companies or themselves on a personal level. Scott’s plain-language, down-to-earth explanations of complex issues will be a real asset to our members.”

“I’m delighted to be contributing to BoardProspects.com,” said Goldman. “Their membership comprises some of the smartest and most influential people in the corporate world. They’re also some of the busiest, but have a sincere desire to stay updated about the latest issues in cybersecurity. As an Independent Director, I understand that most Directors will not want IT-level details about these issues. I’ll be writing and responding to questions about these issues in terms that everyone can understand and relate to. I look forward to the interaction with BoardProspects.com members.” For the full article click here 

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Standalone Cybersecurity Bill to be Tabled Next Year

Introduction

• A standalone Cybersecurity Bill (“Bill”) will be tabled in Parliament in 2017.
• The new Bill will ensure that the operators of Singapore’s critical information infrastructure (“CII”) take proactive steps to secure such CIIs and report incidents of cybersecurity breaches.
• The new Bill will empower the Cyber Security Agency (“CSA”) to manage cyber incidents and raise the standards of cybersecurity providers.
• All businesses (not just CII) are recommended to adopt a cybersecurity-by-design approach to their operations.
• CII operators (and potentially other businesses that deal with them) need to establish additional policies and procedures (if they have not already done so) to deal with cyber incidents, and comply with the new reporting obligation.

A standalone Cybersecurity Bill will be tabled in Parliament next year to keep pace with the evolving cyber security landscape in Singapore and beyond. This was revealed by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, at the Committee of Supply Debate on 11 April 2016. In his speech, Dr Yaacob said that the Ministry of Communications and Information (“MCI”) will review the country’s policy and legislative framework for cybersecurity as the Government moves towards building Singapore as a Smart Nation. For the full article click here 

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Dells cybersecurity firm SecureWorks prices IPO below estimates

News: SecureWorks decreased the share price and the number of shares from what was marketed.

SecureWorks, a subsidiary of Dell, has sold 8m shares at a price of $14 per share. This has made investors doubt the prospects of the company, as the initial pricing was between of $15.50 to $17.50 for 9m shares.

SecureWorks has also offered a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,200,000 shares of Class A common stock for underwriters. These underwriters include Bank of America Corp, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.

SecureWorks originally marketed to sell nine million shares within a price range of $15.5 to $17.5 each. The shares will be traded, starting Friday, 22 April 2016, at Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol SCWX.

SecureWorks has only been able to raise $112m in its IPO, a number far below that of other technology companies that went public last year. For the full article click here 

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Indianas New Cybersecurity Council Will Beef Up States Cyber Infrastructure

On April 20, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence announced the formation of the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity (Cybersecurity Council). The council, formed by executive order, is a 23-member partnership between public and private organizations across the state, all seeking to keep the state safe from online threats. It is designed to cooperate across institutional boundaries and follow the dictates of another creation of the same executive order: a cybersecurity strategic framework document.

“Online interaction is vital to nearly every aspect of our economy, including utilities and financial sectors,” Pence said. “While risk can never be completely eliminated, Indiana will employ all available tools to manage cyber threats.”

John Hill, the governor’s chief of staff for public safety, will lead the effort as state cybersecurity coordinator, while David Kane, executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, will chair the Cybersecurity Council. The council will be filled with subject-matter experts from a diverse array of disciplines, said John Erickson, director of public information for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

“We consulted the private sector heavily,” Erickson told Government Technology. “They were very interested in partnership of this type and we took a look comprehensively at areas that had exposure, such as the financial sector, health care, [transportation, education, research, transportation and] software developers, and moved forward accordingly.” For the full article click here 

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Forum to Focus on Cybersecurity Needs in US and Canada

Cybersecurity experts are planning to hold a forum on ways the United States and Canada can toughen their online defenses.

The discussion will focus on the growing number of lone wolf and foreign government-sponsored cyber-attacks that harm national security and commerce in both countries.

Thursday’s event is sponsored by The New England-Canada Business Council and will include a discussion of strategies needed to stem the tide of cyber-attacks — particularly those by crime syndicates, rogue nations, terrorist groups and individual hackers.

Organizers of the forum say the attacks disrupt the free exchange of information on the Internet and undermine business transactions. For the full article click here 

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Individuals not the priority in the Cyber Security Strategy

The Cyber Security Strategy announced today by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull clearly places a high priority on protecting Australian government systems from foreign powers.

But when it comes to protecting citizens’ personal information, it appears to be rather a mixed bag.

While very short on specifics, it does announce several potentially useful initiatives that may help protect Australians against cybercrime. But notably absent is any pressure on the private sector to improve its cybersecurity efforts.

First, it commits the government to increasing the number and training of cybersecurity specialists in the Australian Federal Police and Australian Crime Commission.

The government also wants to get its own house in order, in part by conducting additional independent security assessments of internal federal government IT infrastructure. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity firm Payfont valued at up to 180m

Payfont, the Edinburgh-based cybersecurity specialist, has been valued at up to £180 million following a review by an intellectual property (IP) expert.

The figure was produced after the firm, headed by chief executive David Lanc – a former senior executive at Royal Bank of Scotland’s cards business – was audited by Martin Brassell, chief executive of Inngot, a company that specialises in valuing IP.

The figure Brassell placed on its IP was then used to form part of an overall calculation of the valuation of the firm which Payfont said was between £106.7m and £180.3m.

Brassell said: “Payfont’s IP is potentially highly disruptive and it also crosses a number of perceived boundaries in the cyber-security marketplace.” For the full article click here 

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Dayton wants big boost in cybersecurity funding; lawmakers wont click

Spear phishing, botnet armies, cyberdisruptors — that’s just a sampling of the attacks creating constant worry for Christopher Buse, Minnesota’s chief information security officer.

Countless times a day, hackers try to find and exploit gaps in Minnesota’s vast state government computer network, hoping to steal sensitive information or gum up operations. The system also encounters state employees wading into data pools where they probably do not belong. There’s a lot of data behind state firewalls and a lot of it — tax returns, health records and licensing databases — is sensitive

“Every day computer hackers find new vulnerabilities in software,” said Buse. “The onus is on us as security professionals to proactively find and fix those issues before they could potentially be exploited.”

Minnesota, he believes, needs to step up its defenses. That means more-advanced intrusion detection software, continuous scanning for anomalies and better training of state employees. For the full article click here 

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ICIT Brief: Combatting the Ransomware Blitzkrieg with Endpoint Security

Ransomware, the weaponization of encryption, has struck fear and confusion into the hearts of PC users and critical infrastructure communities alike. While it is impossible for organizations to prevent malware from infecting their networks, those who deploy a multi-layered security strategy and teach proper cybersecurity hygiene to their employees have a strong chance of defending against these types of attacks. This brief, entitled “Combatting the Ransomware Blitzkrieg: The Only Defense is a Layered Defense – Layer One: Endpoint Security”, will focus on the critical role endpoint security plays as part of an organization’s comprehensive and holistic security strategy. The brief contains an analysis of:

• The need for endpoint security
• Vulnerable endpoints (users, personal computers, servers, mobile devices, specialize hardware and cloud services)
• Potentially vulnerable endpoints (SCADA/ICS, IoT devices, cars)
• Endpoint security
• Selecting an endpoint security strategy

The following experts contributed to this brief:

• James Scott (Sr. Fellow & Co-Founder, ICIT)
• Drew Spaniel (Visiting Scholar, ICIT)
• Dan Waddell (ICIT Fellow – Director, Government Affairs, (ISC)2)
• Greg Fitzgerald (ICIT Fellow – Chief Strategy Officer, Cylance)
• Rob Bathurst (ICIT Fellow – Managing Director, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Cylance)
• Malcolm Harkins (ICIT Fellow – Global Chief Information Security Officer, Cylance)
• Ryan Brichant (ICIT Fellow – CTO, ICS, FireEye)
• George Kamis, (ICIT Fellow – CTO Federal, Forcepoint)
• Stacey Winn (ICIT Fellow – Senior Product Marketing Manager, Public Sector, Forcepoint)
• Thomas Boyden (ICIT Fellow – Managing Director, GRA Quantum)
• Kevin Chalker (ICIT Fellow – Founder & CEO, GRA Quantum)
• John Sabin (ICIT Fellow – Director of Network Security & Architecture, GRA Quantum)
• Rob Roy (ICIT Fellow – Public Sector CTO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise)
• Stan Wisseman (ICIT Fellow – Security Strategist, Hewlett Packard Enterprise)
• Cindy Cullen (ICIT Fellow – Security Strategist, Hewlett Packard Enterprise)
• Stan Mierzwa (ICIT Fellow – Director, Information Technology, Population Council)

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Bug Bounties Help Detect Cybersecurity Flaws

Bug bounties bring critical information to Web operators from cybersecurity researchers and hackers who receive a cash award—and often bragging rights—in exchange for information on software vulnerabilities that reduce risk for both the company and consumers, companies and security researchers told Bloomberg BNA.

The Pentagon and companies such as Facebook Inc. and United Airlines Inc. routinely provide the cash rewards to security researchers and white hat hackers in an effort to strengthen the companies’ websites and provide safe access for consumers.

“Most of the time everyone has the same goals—everyone should be safe,” Ryan Kalember, cybersecurity senior vice president at Proofpoint Inc., told Bloomberg BNA. “A cybersecurity researcher that is calling you and is obviously not extorting you is someone you should be engaging with,” he said.

“When you have a more proactive program around that and do have things like bug bounties, you make it clear to the world you want to engage in researchers directly and come to you directly instead of selling directly to highest bidder,” Kalember said. For the full article click here 

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Views on Cybersecurity Threats to Health-Care Facilities From Duo Security Director of Security Research Steve Manzuik

A recent wave of ransomware attacks targeting hospitals highlight the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of health-care facilities.

Bloomberg BNA Privacy & Data Security News Senior Legal Editor Jimmy H. Koo posed a series of questions to Duo Security Inc. Director of Security Research Steve Manzuik on cybersecurity threat trends and what health-care facilities should do if they’re subjected to a ransomware attack.

Bloomberg BNA:

Are you seeing any recent trends in cybersecurity threats to health-care facilities?

Steve Manzuik:

Health-care facilities are an interesting problem from a cybersecurity perspective. They have a lot of systems running older, potentially unsupported software that, for various reasons, can’t be replaced or updated. Security teams at these facilities have to deal with outdated application frameworks like JBOSS, outdated client side software like java and flash, old medical devices running unpatchable operating systems and now, we can add cryptolocker/ransomware to the list of potential threats.

While these aren’t really new trends there seems to be a heightened attention on attacking health-care organizations. The ability to monetize a successful attack as well as the willingness for organizations to pay out a ransom seems to have compounded the threats. For the full article click here 

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Boston Cybersecurity Map Shows Deep Diverse Local Sector

It’s no secret that the Boston area is home to a formidable group of companies related to cybersecurity.

Just how big is the local cluster? Xconomy surveyed the landscape and found 63 firms within an hour’s drive of downtown Boston, including locally based companies and outposts of firms based elsewhere. We mapped them out below and listed them in a table with key facts and figures about each company.

The map and accompanying data illustrate the local sector’s diverse and dynamic nature. There are security arms of big companies, like EMC-owned RSA Security, IBM Security, and Lockheed Martin Industrial Defender. Longstanding companies like Rapid7, Carbon Black(formerly Bit9), Digital Guardian, Veracode, and CyberArk have raised vast sums from venture capitalists and the public markets in a quest for industry domination. Well-funded startups like Cybereason, Recorded Future, and Threat Stack are advancing new techniques for combating threats. And a bevy of small startups like Cybric, Lexumo, andSeceon are just getting started.

The companies are tackling a wide range of problems that threaten businesses, governments, and organizations today, from sniffing out and responding to cyber attacks to safeguarding data across servers, the cloud, and personal devices. Some of the companies focus on solving one or two specific issues, but security firms are increasingly taking a more holistic approach. We also included companies that offer related products and services, such as vulnerability assessments, remote access and password management software, online backup and disaster recovery, and other infrastructure tools. For the full article click here 

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Private-sector cybersecurity spending is still too low

What you should know today: Cybersecurity spending remains too low; Federal cyber commission gets to work; U.S., Russia hold cybersecurity conclave.

Private-Sector Cybersecurity Spending Is Still Too Low

Private-sector cybersecurity spending still isn’t enough to counter the threat, according to the results of an Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP) survey of its members.

“There is a growing problem with more types of attack, more sources and types of threat, greater reliance on increasingly complex IT systems, the ongoing shortage of effective security staff and a regulatory environment that is both fluid and challenging,” according to the IISP survey.

While awareness of cybersecurity is growing, many companies view it as just not worth the investment. Through this cost-benefit analysis lens, many companies estimate that the losses from breaches would be less expensive than investments in preventive measures. For the full article click here 

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End-Point Devices Pose Challenges to Healthcare Cybersecurity

Cyber security sector to create a million jobs

The next big wave for the Indian information technology (IT) sector would be cyber security, the National Association of Software and Services Companies(Nasscom), said on Monday. The sector has projected revenues of $35 billion and a million new jobs, it said.

“We estimate that cybersecurity is about $2.5-3 billion or about two per cent of the close-to-$150-billion Indian IT sector. With the IT sector on track to reach $350 billion by 2025, we estimate 10 per cent of this to be cybersecurity,”Nasscom Chair Cyber Security Task Force Rajendra Pawar said.

This would create an employment opportunity for about a million people as well. “Another important aspect will be start-ups. We expect to see about 1,000 start-ups coming up in this area. This is because these smaller companies are light-footed and yet have the best of technologies. Also, there has been a lot of investor interest in this area as enterprises look to stay secured against rising incidents of cyber-attacks,” he said. For the full article click here 

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U.S. Russian officials to meet this week on cybersecurity issues State Dept.

U.S. and Russian officials will meet this week in Geneva to discuss cybersecurity issues, a State Department official told SCMagazine.com.

“This meeting is not a restart of the Bilateral Presidential Commission working group, but it is in our interest to discuss cybersecurity issues with Russia, including to review the 2013 Bilateral U.S.-Russia Cyber Confidence Building Measures,” the official stated in an email.

“We meet periodically with Russia on cyber issues and such other core national security issues as counterterrorism,” the official added.

Last month, SCMagazineUK.com reported that the two nations plan to re-start stalled cybersecurity cooperation, including revisiting the 2013 bilateral agreements. For the full article click here 

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Library to have Cybersecurity program

BUCYRUS – The Bucyrus Public Library will have a free cybersecurity presentation at 6 p.m. Monday at 200 E. Mansfield St.

For details, call 419-562-7327, ext. 100. For the full article click here 

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NIST Gives Agencies Guidance on Boosting Cybersecurity for BYOD Telework

IT leaders at federal agencies have embraced increased use of mobility to transform their enterprises. However, as more offices have offered telework options and embraced bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies to varying degree, security vulnerabilities have also cropped up.

If IT workers are connecting to federal networks over their home or public Wi-Fi service and are using their personal mobile devices, they could potentially be exposing themselves and their agencies to security risks. As a result, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued draft guidelines last month for both users and organizations on best practices forimproving security in telework and BYOD policies.

“Organizations are realizing that many data breaches occur when attackers can steal important information from a network by first attacking computers used for telework,” Murugiah Souppaya, a NIST computer scientist and author of the guidelines, told Federal Times. “To prevent breaches when people are teleworking, organizations need to have stronger control over their sensitive data that can be accessed by — or stored on — telework devices.”

Public comments on the draft guidance were due on April 15. For the full article click here 

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Blackhole exploit kit author sent to jail: Pyrrhic victory for the cybersecurity industry

According to Wikipedia, a Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.

Last week, many cybersecurity media outlets announced that Blackhole exploit kit creator (aka “Paunch”) was sent to jail for seven years. His accomplices will also spend between five and eight years in a Russian prison. LinkedIn had a lot of mentions of the news with joyful comments and numerous likes. Back in 2013, Jerome Segura, security researcher at Malwarebytes, said the arrest would be “a major event in the exploit kit business, one that could trigger a chain reaction leading to more arrests and disruption.”

So, sounds very promising, doesn’t it? However, if we look into the details of the story, it’s rather a defeat than a victory for our industry. Let’s have a look on five main reasons For the full article click here 

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MITs AI-Based Cybersecurity Solution Sounds Impressive But Prevention-Based Solutions May Still Prevail

MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), along with the AI startup PatternEx, have created a hybrid solution that can catch 85 percent of the attacks on a network by combining AI with human input. The method is up to ten times more effective than other purely AI-based solutions on the market right now but could still be inadequate in the real world of data breaches.

Some of the newest anti-malware solutions, especially in the enterprise (but also in some consumer products), include machine learning to catch malware or data breaches in progress. MIT CSAIL’s and PatternEx’s solution, called AI2 (because it uses both “artificial intelligence” and “analyst intuition”), seems to be anywhere from 3x to 10x better than other solutions, while showing 5x fewer false positives. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity power outages to be subjects of Maine emergency preparedness conference

AUGUSTA — Technology can help us respond to all kinds of emergencies, but what happens when the best technologies break down or, worse, are the source of their own kind of emergency?

Those questions will be addressed during a gathering of emergency responders from across the state at the Augusta Civic Center this week. Taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, the eighth annual Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference will focus on two topics that recognize the growing reliance on technology and the things that can go wrong because of it: cybersecurity and catastrophic power outages.

On Tuesday, the conference will focus on cybersecurity. A keynote discussion at 11:15 a.m. will highlight some of the risks people face whenever they use modern technology, as well as some of the efforts around Maine to prepare for those risks. The panel will include Chet Lunner, retired deputy undersecretary for intelligence at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Tammy Plummer, executive vice president and chief information officer at First National Bank; and Marshall Tracy, head of information security at IDEXX Laboratories. For the full article click here 

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Wash. Gov. Inslees Veto Spares Performance Auditors Cybersecurity Reviews

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Monday signed into law an update to the state’s two-year budget. It puts more money into the state’s mental health hospitals and pays for costs from last summer’s wildfires.

The governor also wielded his veto pen.

The deputy Washington state auditor and government watchdog groups urged Gov. Inslee to spare the performance audit budget. With some artful use of his section veto power, Inslee did. The governor stopped a $10 million budget raid on the auditor’s office passed by the legislature.

“We think these performance audits have value for the state,” the governor said. “They help us perfect operations. We thought it was important to keep this significant investment in this service.” For the full article click here 

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Magic Leap Acquires Israeli Cyber Security Company NorthBit

Magic Leap Inc., a U.S. startup working on a device that simulates reality, acquired Israeli cybersecurity company NorthBit to bolster its advanced software research.

The deal will ensure Magic Leap products ship with the highest security standards for customers, the Dania Beach, Florida-based company said in an e-mailed statement. Magic Leap plans to expand operations in Israel and is looking to hire in the country, it said. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Israel’s cybersecurity industry numbered nearly 430 companies at the end of 2015, growing from 310 two years earlier, as governments and corporations worldwide face mounting challenges to the security of their information and operations. Last month, NorthBit discovered a software vulnerability that could affect millions of customers using the Android operating system, according to the company’s Facebook page. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity event looks at threats facing businesses

A recent survey of 161 senior information security and technology professionals, by technology recruitment firm Harvey Nash, found a quarter of organisations do not include cybersecurity considerations in their risk processes.

It also found 18 per cent of security professionals do not know what they are trying to protect and 28 per cent do not know who has access to the organisation’s most sensitive assets.

Against this backdrop, Harvey Nash is hosting an event at the Innovation Hub in Dublin tomorrow to assess the Irish cybersecurity landscape and examine the most potent threats facing businesses at present and in the future.

Harvey Nash head of infrastructure recruitment Bryan Smith, Integrity360 Cyber-risk and assurance director Seán Rooney and BCC Risk Advisory chief technology officer Eoin Keary will be among the speakers. They will highlight what businesses can do to be proactive in prevention and the upcoming changes to ISO standards. For the full article click here 

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Cybercriminals zeroing in on Singapore banks

Banks in Singapore are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals, experts said, given the growing sophistication of the dark web that has developed into a bustling marketplace for malware, complete with money-back guarantees.

While other financial centres – and certainly non-financial corporations – are also at risk, Singapore stands out as a significant number of banking customers read Chinese, and that, according to IBM, has made it more vulnerable to the rising Chinese-language hacks on the dark web.

“Tech-savvy consumers in Singapore are getting more and more reliant on mobile and online banking services but continue to be unaware of evolving cyber threats and risks,” said Vincent Loy, Asia Pacific financial crime and cyber leader, PwC Singapore. “As one of the top financial centres in the world, Singapore banks will continue to face the risk of being more vulnerable, as technologies continue to evolve to keep pace with business and consumer needs.” For the full article click here 

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Accenture is buoyed about Security Services

Taking its “As a service” pay- as- you- go model further, Accenture is combining its business processes, infrastructure services, automation, analytics and people by extending its security services into a centralized end-to-end stack for customers.

The global consultant and service provider has expanded on its security offerings and solutions, by launching the Cybersecurity Fusion Center in Bangalore, which is an amalgamation of Accenture’s inter-disciplinary capabilities, ranging from innovation and incubation to strategic consulting and transformation, and managed delivery of a broad range of cyber security capabilities. This state of the art facility supports clients with a combination of 24/7 managed security services, behavioural analytics, advanced automation technologies and integrated cyber defense services.

The facility is complete with advanced collaboration technologies, such as a 12.5-meter micro-tile screens, and is perhaps one of the largest in India, a 9,000-sq foot set-up, located in Accenture Operations’ flagship Delivery Center in Bangalore at the Prestige Technopolis.  For the full article click here 

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Huawei founder to grace Africa’s digital awards in Kampala

The founder of the global technology giant Huawei will be presented with a medal of honour at the 3rd Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA2016) in Kampala later this August.

Ren Zhengfei, will receive “Africa’s Digital Inclusion Medal of Honor” at the Kampala Serena Hotel on August 18th 2016.

The award according to organizers will be in appreciation of Zhengfei and Huawei’s contribution to digital Inclusion in Africa.

“They have enabled the “mobile revolution,” Africa’s mobile technology would not be as far along as it is without Huawei and its well-priced products and services,” noted Innocent Kawooya, chief executive of HiPipo, the organizers of the awards.

Kawooya said the DIAA2016 jury found it noble to award and honor Zhengfei whose strategic leadership of the global technology giant Huawei has been key to the benefits Africa has gained from Huawei products and services.

The awards and lectures will run under the theme “Maximizing the Digital Dividend”. For the full article click here 

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Federal, state authorities investigating source of data used to steal city employees’ tax returns

Baltimore officials have not learned how fraudsters obtained enough information on dozens of city employees to file fake tax returns in their names, and were working with federal and state authorities Friday to investigate any link between the victims.

But even in an age in which massive data breaches have become commonplace, cybersecurity experts said the blame might not rest on how well the city protects sensitive data. Given that it takes little more to file a tax return than a Social Security number and income information, thieves are increasingly assuming victims’ identities to steal their tax returns.

The IRS caught 1.4 million cases of identity theft last year in returns seeking $8.7 billion. Officials said they didn’t have precise figures on how often it occurs in Maryland, but nearly 600 people called the state attorney general’s office to report such crimes in the past year, a spokeswoman said.

“It’s on the rise and it’s hugely pervasive, not only here in Maryland but across the country,” said Alan Brody, a spokesman for Comptroller Peter Franchot. For the full article click here 

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US government worse than all major industries on cybersecurity

WASHINGTON: US federal, state and local government agencies rank in last place in cyber security when compared against 17 major private industries, including transportation, retail and healthcare, according to a new report released Thursday.

The analysis, from venture-backed security risk benchmarking startup SecurityScorecard, measured the relative security health of government and industries across 10 categories, including vulnerability to malware infections, exposure rates of passwords and susceptibility to social engineering, such as an employee using corporate account information on a public social network.

Educations, telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries also ranked low, the report found. Information services, construction, food and technology were among the top performers. For the full article click here 

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Earn a cybersecurity career with top-level hacker and pen tester certification training

In today’s world, security is a big concern of any business or organisation.

With new online threats emerging daily, it’s vital that companies protect themselves with high-level IT security experts, to avoid that small oversight which could cost the company millions.

At 95 per cent off, the Cyber Security Hacker and Pen Tester Certification Training offer will prepare you for a career as a cybersecurity professional, with the ability to find and understand an organization’s vulnerabilities, and to address them before the bad guys can strike.

Across 12 courses and 117 lectures, the Cyber Security Hacker and Pen Tester Certification Training program will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of tools, techniques, and methodologies for network penetration testing. You’ll learn the key components to master ethical hacking and penetration testing, with training full of practical, real-world tips from leading security experts to help you do your job safely, efficiently, and masterfully. For the full article click here 

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Cyber security firm exec sees strong business in PHL on sustained rise of BPO sector

MANILA – An official of a global cybersecurity firm is positive on its business in the Philippines given the strong rise of the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and the government’s bid to secure its computer-related systems.

In an interview by PNA Friday, Symantec Senior Director for Cyber Security Services for Asia Pacific and Japan, said the rise of the country’s BPO sector in recent years had also resulted in higher demand for security-related services.

He said the rise of several industries such as the BPO sector had been “very significant” and their cybersecurity demand also rose given the surge of malware and computer viruses.

He said Symantec was normally in contact with these organizations “particularly because they’ve tied-up a lot of times with service level agreements with their outside organizations. And a lot of times they have been audited on their security measures as well.”

He said these entities have allocated higher funding for cybersecurity measures.

“So we see, for the Philippines in general, quite an increase in security span, driven a lot by the BPO space and the government as well,” he said but declined to give figures.

A recent study by Symantec shows that cyber criminals have shifted their organizations by adopting corporate best practices and establishing professional For the full article click here 

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Congressman questions IRS cybersecurity efforts

Congressman Darin LaHood is questioning IRS Commissioner John Koskinen about what is being done to protect the sensitive information of American taxpayers from mounting cybersecurity threats.

During a Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing Thursday, LaHood said that from 2014 to 2015 alone, more than 700,000 taxpayers’ personal information was compromised because of criminal cybersecurity breaches.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in March providing 43 recommendations for the IRS to increase security. The IRS responded that it would consider the recommendations over a 60-day period.

“If the federal government requires Americans to provide sensitive and personal information, its agencies must be able to protect that data from cyber criminals,” LaHood said. “The IRS remains highly vulnerable to hackers and cyberattacks and yet the commissioner failed to sufficiently answer our committee’s questions1193-1389-6863-9776-3660-94131193-1389-6863-9776-3660-9413on why the GAO’s recommendations have not been implemented.”  For the full article click here 

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Cyber-security initiative at Boise State University with Idaho National Labs

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho National Labs and Boise State University have received a million dollars to collaborate on a cutting edge cyber-security lab. It is expected to become operational this summer of 2016.

The Idaho National Lab will be contributing expertise, and BSU will be providing grad students for research as they pursue cutting-edge research and best practices in defending infrastructure from cyber-incursion caused by hackers or hostile state actors.

“INL is proud to collaborate with Boise State University and the other Idaho universities as we lead efforts to address emerging national challenges and advanced threats to the nation’s power grid, water supply, and other critical infrastructure,” said Brent Stacey, INL associate lab director for National and Homeland Security. “Through the BSU center, Idaho students will have the opportunity to engage at the leading edge of cybersecurity innovation.” For the full article click here 

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