Kenneth Corbin
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Kenneth Corbin
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IoT attacks could bring real-world damage
Members of Congress received a dire warning this week about security vulnerabilities in the so-called internet of things (IoT), as cyber experts cautioned that with billions of new devices coming online, coordinated hacking attacks could become -- literally -- a matter of life and death.House lawmakers convened the hearing on IoT security in response to last month's distributed denial-of-service attack on the internet addressing provider Dyn, which resulted in temporary outages at popular sites like Twitter and Spotify.[ Related: How the Dyn DDoS attack unfolded ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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White House to bolster STEM education, close skills gap
On paper, the Obama administration has taken many steps toward advancing education and training in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math -- a critical policy priority for many businesses that say they struggle to hire qualified workers.[ Related: Obama expands STEM education and training efforts ]But White House officials are quick to acknowledge that more work needs to be done, particularly in recruiting girls and minority students into computer science and other technical fields. They are hoping that a newly launched advanced placement course will help attract more interest in computer science by integrating the field with other disciplines and emphasizing real-world applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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FTC focuses on combating ransomware
Ransomware, where a hacker commandeers a user's computer files and threatens to permanently delete them unless an extortion payment is made, is on a sharp uptick and now ranks "among the most troubling cyberthreats," the head of the Federal Trade Commission is warning.[ Related: The history of ransomware ]FTC Chair Edith Ramirez addressed the issue at a recent forum that the agency convened to examine the spread of ransomware and explore strategies to combat the crime."The spate of ransomware incidents are escalating at an alarming rate," Ramirez says, citing an estimate from the Department of Justice that incidents of ransomware, now averaging some 4,000 a day, have increased 300 percent in the past year.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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FTC focuses on combating ransomware
Ransomware, where a hacker commandeers a user's computer files and threatens to permanently delete them unless an extortion payment is made, is on a sharp uptick and now ranks "among the most troubling cyberthreats," the head of the Federal Trade Commission is warning.[ Related: The history of ransomware ]FTC Chair Edith Ramirez addressed the issue at a recent forum that the agency convened to examine the spread of ransomware and explore strategies to combat the crime."The spate of ransomware incidents are escalating at an alarming rate," Ramirez says, citing an estimate from the Department of Justice that incidents of ransomware, now averaging some 4,000 a day, have increased 300 percent in the past year.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Will Supreme Court settle network neutrality issue?
Net neutrality foes work to get the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in and settle the matter of network neutrality, perhaps the most contentious issue in technology policy over the last decade.[ Related: U.S. appeals court upholds net neutrality rules, but fight is not over ]It is certainly possible, because opponents of the policy advanced by the Federal Communications Commission aren't conceding the fight after their recent legal setback.Last week, U.S. Telecom, CTIA and other trade organizations and allied groups appealed to a federal appeals court to rehear the case in a proceeding that would involve all active judges, not just the three-judge panel that upheld the FCC's open Internet order in June by a 2-1 split.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Will Supreme Court settle network neutrality issue?
Net neutrality foes work to get the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in and settle the matter of network neutrality, perhaps the most contentious issue in technology policy over the last decade.[ Related: U.S. appeals court upholds net neutrality rules, but fight is not over ]It is certainly possible, because opponents of the policy advanced by the Federal Communications Commission aren't conceding the fight after their recent legal setback.Last week, U.S. Telecom, CTIA and other trade organizations and allied groups appealed to a federal appeals court to rehear the case in a proceeding that would involve all active judges, not just the three-judge panel that upheld the FCC's open Internet order in June by a 2-1 split.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Hillary Clinton’s tech agenda draws cheers from IT industry
Leading tech groups hailed the release of Hillary Clinton's agenda for promoting technology and innovation, praising the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's focus on issues like cybersecurity and her acknowledgement that the industry is vital to the nation's economic prosperity.[ Related: Obama, Zuckerberg push better broadband, innovative startups ]Clinton's "initiative on technology and innovation" comes as the most detailed elucidation of a technology platform from a major presidential candidate this election season, a multi-pronged plan that touches on issues like promoting science and technical education, building out broadband infrastructure and defending net neutrality.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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U.S. Cyber Command struggles to retain top cybersecurity talent
At U.S. Cyber Command, the top brass has made recruiting top talent a leading priority, but those efforts have been slowed by challenges in attracting and retaining the next generation of cyber warriors.Maj. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force, spoke to those struggles in a recent online event hosted by Federal News Radio.[ Related: 'HACKERS WANTED' Report: NSA Not Having Trouble Filing Cybersecurity Jobs ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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U.S. Cyber Command struggles to retain top cybersecurity talent
At U.S. Cyber Command, the top brass has made recruiting top talent a leading priority, but those efforts have been slowed by challenges in attracting and retaining the next generation of cyber warriors.Maj. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force, spoke to those struggles in a recent online event hosted by Federal News Radio.[ Related: 'HACKERS WANTED' Report: NSA Not Having Trouble Filing Cybersecurity Jobs ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Human error biggest risk to health IT
In the race to digitize the healthcare industry, providers, insurers and others in the multi-layered ecosystem have failed to take some of the most basic steps to protect consumers' sensitive health information, a senior government official is warning.Servio Medina, acting COO at the Defense Health Agency's policy branch, cautioned during a recent presentation that too many healthcare breaches are the product of basic mistakes, ignorance or employee negligence.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords "These are things that could be prevented," Medina said. "Today's training and awareness efforts that we provide currently are simply not effective. They are not enough. We have to do something radically more and different."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Human error biggest risk to health IT
In the race to digitize the healthcare industry, providers, insurers and others in the multi-layered ecosystem have failed to take some of the most basic steps to protect consumers' sensitive health information, a senior government official is warning.Servio Medina, acting COO at the Defense Health Agency's policy branch, cautioned during a recent presentation that too many healthcare breaches are the product of basic mistakes, ignorance or employee negligence.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords "These are things that could be prevented," Medina said. "Today's training and awareness efforts that we provide currently are simply not effective. They are not enough. We have to do something radically more and different."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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State Department argues against ‘cyber arms’ treaty
Even as top U.S. diplomats press issues of cybersecurity and Internet freedom in virtually every top-level meeting with their foreign counterparts, it's too soon to begin contemplating a formal, multilateral treaty laying out parameters for digital rules of the road, according to a senior State Department official.That's in part because it remains early days in cyber-diplomacy, but also because the U.S. approach of framing Internet issues within the context of existing international law and pushing to develop generally accepted norms is netting some encouraging results, Christopher Painter, the State Department's coordinator for cyber issues, testified Wednesday during a Senate hearing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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State Department argues against ‘cyber arms’ treaty
Even as top U.S. diplomats press issues of cybersecurity and Internet freedom in virtually every top-level meeting with their foreign counterparts, it's too soon to begin contemplating a formal, multilateral treaty laying out parameters for digital rules of the road, according to a senior State Department official.That's in part because it remains early days in cyber-diplomacy, but also because the U.S. approach of framing Internet issues within the context of existing international law and pushing to develop generally accepted norms is netting some encouraging results, Christopher Painter, the State Department's coordinator for cyber issues, testified Wednesday during a Senate hearing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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FCC’s ‘relentless regulatory assault’ threatens cable industry
BOSTON -- The head of the leading cable trade group feels like the federal government is trying to pick winners and losers.Michael Powell, president and CEO of NCTA, the organization representing firms like Comcast and Cox in Washington, argues that federal regulators have been pursuing policies that would create a two-tier regulatory regime that favors Internet firms over the telecom providers that deliver broadband and cable access services."What I believe is most troubling is an emerging government view that the communication market is bifurcated and should be regulated differently -- Internet companies are nurtured and allowed to run free, but network providers are disparagingly labeled 'gatekeepers' that should be shackled," Powell said in a keynote address at NCTA's annual Internet and TV conference. "The implications of this world view go far beyond how it affects one industry."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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FCC’s ‘relentless regulatory assault’ threatens cable industry
BOSTON -- The head of the leading cable trade group feels like the federal government is trying to pick winners and losers.Michael Powell, president and CEO of NCTA, the organization representing firms like Comcast and Cox in Washington, argues that federal regulators have been pursuing policies that would create a two-tier regulatory regime that favors Internet firms over the telecom providers that deliver broadband and cable access services."What I believe is most troubling is an emerging government view that the communication market is bifurcated and should be regulated differently -- Internet companies are nurtured and allowed to run free, but network providers are disparagingly labeled 'gatekeepers' that should be shackled," Powell said in a keynote address at NCTA's annual Internet and TV conference. "The implications of this world view go far beyond how it affects one industry."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Why early STEM education will drive the U.S. economy
The Obama administration is continuing its push to advance math and science education this week, turning attention to early learning with the announcement of a slew of initiatives aimed at promoting the so-called STEM fields of science, technology, mathematics and engineering.[ Related: STEM education gets boost from White House ]The White House and Department of Education are positioning early STEM education as a key to the administration's goal of elevating the nation's competitive position, both by measure of student achievement and, in the longer view, by the economic and social benefits that follow from a workforce with a solid foundation in the subjects that are increasingly critical to the 21st century economy.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Cloud will make U.S. immigration agency more agile
Improving the delivery of services to citizens has been one of the driving goals of government IT reform, in particular as consumers seek out more services through agency websites or applications.At the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, CIO Mark Schwartz is helping lead an overhaul of the way the agency approaches software and application development[ Related: Government wants to increase IT spending 13% in proposed budget ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Obama announces computer science initiatives
Computer science is a fundamental skill in the modern economy, President Obama declared on Tuesday as the White House announced a series of initiatives aimed at advancing education in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.That includes a $200 million investment from Oracle to extend computer science education to 125,000 U.S. students, along with a host of commitments from federal agencies, schools and other groups to promote STEM training.[ Related: Obama expands STEM education and training efforts ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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IoT makes security and privacy top challenges for wearables
From fitness trackers to connected headwear for soldiers on the battlefield, wearable devices stand as one of the fastest-growing segments of the tech industry.[ Related: Consumers are buying millions and millions of wearable devices ]But with those always-on devices come a slew of considerations for policy makers, in particular the concern that device manufacturers aren't implementing appropriate security and privacy measures.Those worries got an airing at a recent House hearing, where industry witnesses urged lawmakers to tread lightly before developing stringent new privacy rules, while at the same time acknowledging that device and application makers need to be vigilant in how they are handling the data collected from users.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Business leaders struggle with cloud, big data and IoT security
Call it the security conundrum.Business leaders are racing to adopt new IT systems like cloud computing, big data and Internet of things (IoT), and yet at the same time express mounting concerns about the security of sensitive information in those environments.A new survey of more than 1,000 enterprise leaders conducted by 451 Research on behalf of the security vendor Vormetric helps quantify the situation.[ Related: Cybersecurity much more than a compliance exercise ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here