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Cyber attacks against government agencies and businesses in the United States continue to rise, and cyber threats will one day surpass the danger of terrorism to the United States, FBI Director Mueller reported today in a recent open hearing of the Senate select intelligence community. READ MORE

"Russia and China are aggressive and successful purveyors of economic espionage against the United States," and  "Iran's intelligence operations against the United States, including cyber capabilities, have dramatically increased in recent years in depth and complexity." ... testimony by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in his prepared testimony (.pdf) to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.  READ MORE

Director Clapper's prepared statement (.pdf)...

The Security and Exchange Commission  has now mandated that cyber-incident related disclosures must be made in securities filings. Now, every company under the watchful eye of the agency must disclose its analysis of exposure to a data breach or attack, discussion of material cyber-incidents, description of related legal proceedings and the implications for the firm's financials.  READ MORE

SEC Disclosure Guidance

DigitalBond, a SCADA security company that led the research, said ... "We felt it was important to provide tools that showed critical infrastructure owners how easy it is for an attacker to take control of their system with potentially catastrophic results," .Vulnerabilities were reported in widely used programmable logic controllers (PLCs) made by General Electric, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Modicon, Koyo Electronics and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.  READ MORE

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What me worry?  A security researcher was able to locate and map more than 10,000 industrial control systems hooked up to the public internet, including water and sewage plants, and found that many could be vulnerable to easy hack attacks.  READ MORE

DHS is taking over control of the Pentagon project that shared classified intelligence with select military contractors and their communications providers, DIB Cybersecurity Pilot.

The new arrangement puts DHS, the civilian agency responsible for facilitating the protection of private critical infrastructure, in charge of communicating with private Internet service providers. The Defense Department will continue to be the point of contact for contractors, officials said.   MORE INFO

DHS Joint Cybersecurity Services Pilot (JCSP)

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced an initiative to further protect the electrical grid from cyber attacks.  The "Electric Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Maturity" project, a White House initiative led by the Department of Energy in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will leverage the insight of private industry and public sector experts to build on existing cybersecurity measures and strategies to create a more comprehensive and consistent approach to protecting the nation's energy delivery system. MORE INFO

White House Blog - Protecting the Nation's Electric Grid from Cyber Threats...

There are several versions of proposed cybersecurity legislation still working their way through congress, MORE INFO ...

Jan 13, 2012 / UPDATE :  Concerns growing that draft cyber bill gives DHS controversial authorities, MORE INFO

DHS has released a new cybersecurity strategy document with a two-pronged approach: protecting critical infrastructure today and building a more secure cybersecurity ecosystem for the future.  READ MORE

Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future (.pdf)

CA Attorney General Harris has announced the creation of a new eCrime Unit to investigate and prosecute technology crime, MORE INFO

CA Department of Justice Cybersafety Web Site

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has released the Trustworthy Cyberspace: Strategic Plan for the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Program--a road map to ensuring long-term reliability and trustworthiness of the digital communications network that is increasingly at the heart of American economic growth and global competitiveness. OSTP Press Release,  DOWNLOAD REPORT (.pdf)