ODNI holds classified briefings on election security for all 50 states

State election officials from all 50 states are to receive classified briefings from intelligence officials Friday and Sunday about threats to election security. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced on Thursday that it will hold the briefings in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI “as part of an ongoing effort to ensure the integrity and security of the nation’s election infrastructure.” The briefings coincide with annual conferences for the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors being held through the weekend in Washington, D.C. Since the 2016 presidential election, lawmakers have been calling on the intelligence community to expedite the security clearance process for state election officials in order for them to review information about election threats. Several bills have been introduced in Congress in recent months with involvement from both parties that would set requirements around this issue. The […]

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FBI’s recruitment strategy for cybersecurity pros starts early, focuses on high school

The FBI’s longterm strategy for hiring proficient cybersecurity professionals involves reaching into high schools, helping foster STEM education and perhaps most importantly, encouraging students to enroll in Scholarship for Service programs that eventually guide them toward Quantico, said Howard Marshall, deputy assistant director of the bureau’s cybersecurity division. “[Cyber workforce recruitment] is a huge challenge for us, maybe one of our biggest,” Marshall said Wednesday at CyberTalks in Washington, D.C. “We have a significant portion of our agents and investigators that are not equipped, what you could probably call not tech-savvy, that are not going to be much help when it comes to the technical side of an investigation.” Marshall said the FBI currently has a nationwide pilot program in which agents are working to encourage the study and development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses in high school. The idea is to get students engaged in exercises and other activities that […]

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