Category Archives: budget

Department of Energy would get new cybersecurity office under White House proposal

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A new office would be created in the Department of Energy to monitor and improve energy sector cybersecurity under the president’s proposed budget for fiscal 2019. Named the the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), the office would “focus on energy infrastructure security and support the expanded national security responsibilities assigned to the Department of Energy.” CESER would take over responsibilities covered elsewhere in the Energy Department budget: the Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery System (CEDS) and the Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration (ISER) programs. Those programs would see their expected spending go up by about 42 percent collectively and would be folded into CESER. CEDS and ISER have about $45 million and $10 million, respectively, in expected spending in fiscal 2018. Under CESER, spending on those accounts would increase to $70 million and $18 million, respectively. An additional $8 million would go toward “program direction,” which describes efforts to manage the […]

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How to Budget for Digital Security in 2018

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Based on the past year, one thing that is certain to be on every company’s mind is security. Among the various concerns associated with security, perhaps the most important is how much it costs to effectively secure your company data in the age o… Continue reading How to Budget for Digital Security in 2018→

How Hackerspaces Spend Money

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Running a hackerspace is no easy task. One of the biggest issues is money — how to collect in dues and donations, managing it, and how to spend it. Everyone has different interests and would like to see the budget go to their favorite project or resource. Milwaukee Makerspace has come up with a novel way to handle this. Members pay $40 a month in dues. $35 of that goes into the general budget. The member themselves can pick where the last $5 goes.

Using the hackerspace’s software, members chose where their $5 goes each month. It can all be …read more

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Trump signed the NDAA today. Here’s what it means for cybersecurity.

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President Donald Trump signed the $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday, a law that sets policies and budget guidelines for the U.S. military for fiscal 2018, including its various cybersecurity-focused initiatives. The mammoth piece of annual legislation often includes brand-new projects and policy provisions. This year’s NDAA advances several important cybersecurity efforts while also establishing new rules and programs related to information security. Here’s a closer look at some key cybersecurity provisions: The ban on Kaspersky Lab software becomes official (SEC. 1634) While the Homeland Security Department has already taken concrete steps to push Kaspersky Lab products out of the federal government, Sec. 1634 makes the ban official across the Defense Department and sets a deadline of October 2018 for total removal. The ban specifically mentions any and all products owned by Kaspersky Lab, including both services and software produced by subsidiaries. Trump will define what “cyberwar” means (SEC. 1633) The […]

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New FBI Director will build on Comey’s cybercrime fighting efforts

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With Christopher Wray being sworn into his new position, the immediate question facing the FBI director is whether he will follow the path created by his predecessor or forge a new one by implementing drastically different initiatives. Associates of Wray who spoke to him in recent weeks say they expect him to build on many of the same priorities that James Comey was known for, including efforts to strengthen the FBI’s cybercrime fighting mission. “I think what you’ll see, and this will play out eventually in [Appropriations committees] too, is that Chris understands that [cybersecurity] is important and that it’s part of everything,” said Joe Whitley, a former senior Justice Department official. “Chris I think respects and admires a lot of what [Comey] did, especially with him building up the FBI’s Cybercrime Division. He’ll build on that.” Whitley doesn’t expect Wray to take the bureau in a drastically different direction […]

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House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices

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The Homeland Security spending bill advancing in the House of Representatives follows the Trump administration’s budget request in proposing severe cuts on the department’s Science and Technology Directorate — slashing the research programs and technology development facilities that it runs, including its national laboratories. Although the bill, which covers appropriations for DHS for fiscal 2018, has a long way to go before it becomes law, the administration is already moving ahead with the cuts, preparing to shutter three of its five national labs. The cuts have drawn protests from former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Democrats in the House and Senate. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, and the Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, are both on the chopping block. The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which has an office in New York City and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, is also […]

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House funding bill for DHS follows Trump plan to cut research and science offices

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The Homeland Security spending bill advancing in the House of Representatives follows the Trump administration’s budget request in proposing severe cuts on the department’s Science and Technology Directorate — slashing the research programs and technology development facilities that it runs, including its national laboratories. Although the bill, which covers appropriations for DHS for fiscal 2018, has a long way to go before it becomes law, the administration is already moving ahead with the cuts, preparing to shutter three of its five national labs. The cuts have drawn protests from former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Democrats in the House and Senate. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, and the Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, are both on the chopping block. The National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, which has an office in New York City and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, is also […]

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Lawmakers fret over proposed budget cuts to some DHS cyber programs

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During two days of hearings on Capitol Hill, lawmakers generally said they were pleased so far with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, but several from both parties expressed concern about the impact of budget cuts on some DHS cybersecurity programs — and Kelly indicated the cuts weren’t final. Proposed cuts to the department’s Science and Technology Directorate and the planned closure of a cybercrime training college for state and local law enforcement and prosecutors were highlighted by Republican congressmen Wednesday, while Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri complained Tuesday about the proposed reduction of grant programs that helped fund port and airport security. “Why have you cut the science and technology budget … by 20 percent?” asked Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., noting that the budget reductions would cause several of the department’s research laboratories and centers of scientific excellence to close. Kelly hedged. “This is obviously a work in progress, congressman,” he […]

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Report: more companies are hiring CISOs as private industry faces cyberattacks

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As cybersecurity budgets and staffing needs continue to increase, businesses must also move to address increasingly malicious threats, according to ISACA’s annual global cyber security survey. Last year, 53 percent of respondents reported an increase in cyber attacks, with 80 percent reporting that an attack is likely to strike their business in 2017, according to the survey of 600 firms. Just 53 percent, however, reported that their business had a formal process for handling these attacks. Cybersecurity is gaining more attention from businesses; the number of organizations with CISOs is up 15 percent from ISACA’s 2016 State of Cyber Security report, with 65 percent now including the position. But while cybersecurity is becoming more of a concern, the availability of tools to combat attacks is not keeping pace. “Consider that this year’s survey found that only fewer than half of security leaders are confident in their team’s ability to handle anything beyond […]

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