Category Archives: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Here’s how DHS prepared to keep hackers out of the Super Bowl

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When the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams kick off in Atlanta on Sunday, a network of at least nine operational centers staffed by city, state, and federal officials will be humming with activity near the stadium to monitor for cyber and physical threats. About 60 employees from DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will be onsite — with a DHS cyber official at each operational center — making it one of the biggest DHS cybersecurity operations at a Super Bowl to date. “We really want everything to run smoothly,” Klint Walker, a DHS cybersecurity adviser in Atlanta told CyberScoop, adding that the goal is to keep opportunistic attackers who would target a high-profile event “from making the newspaper.” Walker was part of a team of DHS officials who worked through the 35-day partial government shutdown without pay to finish assessing and mitigating cybersecurity risk at the Super Bowl. […]

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11/19/18: Dtex, Insider Threat, Privacy News Blog: Trump Signs CISA Legislation; Defending Against Culture; Surveillance: Freedom’s Killer

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Happy Thanksgiving! The holiday may equate to a short work week in the US but there is certainly no shortage of news breaking about cybersecurity, privacy and the insider threat. The biggest cybersecurity news out last week had to be passage of the Cyb… Continue reading 11/19/18: Dtex, Insider Threat, Privacy News Blog: Trump Signs CISA Legislation; Defending Against Culture; Surveillance: Freedom’s Killer→

DHS’s top cyber office is about to get a name that reflects its mission

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The point office on cybersecurity in the Department of Homeland Security is on track for a rebrand. The Senate on Wednesday passed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act, which would both codify the office into law and give it a more relevant name. Under the bill, DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) would become the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). DHS established the NPPD in 2007; the legislation is essentially Congress’ official seal of approval. The House is expected to hold a final vote soon, sending the bill to President Donald Trump. NPPD leads the U.S. government’s efforts to secure federal networks and critical infrastructure. The office has also been spearheading the federal government’s election security efforts since the threats that became apparent in 2016. The office coordinates with state and local election offices on information sharing and cybersecurity best practices. “It is ridiculous that DHS needs an act of […]

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Senate panel gives go-ahead to bill that would hit reset on DHS

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Congress is moving forward with a plan to reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security for the first time since its 2002 creation and establish a permanent, dedicated cyber office within the agency. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs approved the legislation Wednesday. The current bill is a version of what the House passed in July. If it passes in the full Senate, it would still need to see action in the House, even though that side of Congress already passed two attempts to reauthorize DHS last year. The Senate bill would reorganize DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate into a dedicated cyber agency, called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. NPPD was established in 2007 by DHS and therefore isn’t officially deputized by Congress. The new office would be headed by an department undersecretary. “Passing the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act is an important step to strengthen DHS and to establish a process […]

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