September 2009 Archives

At least 18 bills have been introduced as Congress works carefully to give federal authorities the power to protect the country in the event of a massive cyberattack. Lawmakers do not want to violate personal and corporate privacy or squelching innovation. All involved acknowledge it isn't going to be easy. READ MORE

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released a report on Thursday that identified 15 new standards that will guide the development of the smart electric grid, which will use two-way communication systems to better monitor energy use to lower consumption.  READ MORE

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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ranking member, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is preparing cybersecurity legislation that would give the Homeland Security Department -- and not what she calls a "White House czar" -- primary authority to protect federal civilian and private computer networks from attacks.  READ MORE

One-time passwords are vulnerable to new hacking techniques ... by creating special programs ... real-time Trojan horses ... that can issue transactions to a bank while the account holder is online ... turning a one-time password into a weak link in the financial security chain.  READ MORE

A Department of Justice official has stepped in as acting White House senior director for cybersecurity.  Chris Painter joins the White House on detail from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he has served as deputy assistant director of the cyber division since last year.  READ MORE

Protecting sensitive computer systems and networks from cyberattack requires international standards, but limited experience with Internet crime in developing countries and a reluctance from some nations to participate have stalled cooperation.  READ MORE

Cyber criminals targeting small businesses - article in Jan Jose Mercury News ... Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized businesses that don't have the resources to keep updating their computer security, according to federal authorities. READ MORE

Hearing by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ... MORE INFO

A report released by the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) cites the systematic legal analysis used by the City of New York as a model for Federal, State and local governments - especially major metropolitan areas - to adopt nationwide in their disaster planning.  

NIAC, which was created by Presidential Executive Order immediately following the 9/11 attacks, "provides the President with advice on the security of the 18 Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CIKR) sectors and their information systems.  These CIKR sectors span the U.S. economy," the NIAC report notes.

That report, "Frameworks for Dealing with Disasters and Related Interdependencies," took more than a year to compile.  It reviewed and assessed numerous models for effectively managing catastrophic events.

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"DHS is a key player in cybersecurity -- we need to support them in building capabilities," Chris Painter, director of cybersecurity for the White House National Security Council, said during an recent interview. "Other agencies play a big role as well and have their lanes in the road. But we need a strong DHS, and that's what we're working toward."  READ MORE